Adventures in Pan's Neverland
by ThePenWieldingRose
Summary: Sequel to "Pan's Never-Neverland." Peter and the others have returned to Neverland and are living peacefully...sort of. With occasional visits to the "real world," there's never a boring day in Neverland. It's full of adventures and dangers, and each day brings a new challenge, a new story, new friends, and new enemies...
1. Chapter 1

**Adventures in Pan's Neverland**

**Chapter One**

If you look to the sky, you'll see the second star to the right. If you happen to fly to it, you'll be engulfed by an ethereal light, gold, silver, and white, and a pool of lovely pale colors will appear before you…as you get closer and follow the golden arrows pointing the way, you'll see that the colors begin to get brighter and take on a particular shape…eventually, the clouds disperse and the colors burst into the shape of an island which you've seen in dreams but can't quite recall, surrounded in gentle morning light. There, before you, is the island of Neverland, where playtime is forever, dreams come true, and children never grow up.

Now, some of you may recall certain strange events that took place not too long ago in the mainland of the "real world" with the inhabitants of this island, including the notorious Captain Hook, the mischievous Tinker Bell, the brave Tiger Lily, and of course the Eternal Youth himself, Peter Pan. They've long since returned to the mythical island and reside there with new friends they've picked up along the way. But their story is far from over…in fact, it's only just begun…

**NEVERLAND**

Indian war drums boomed as the dancers stepped in time, natives and guests alike hopping and spinning around. The music went faster and faster and faster until suddenly it stopped, causing several of the new members to bump into one another and collapse.

"Hey!" Partly gasped, falling face first as Lump tripped and landed on him. "Get offa me, wouldja?!"

Lump released a massive belch, smiling apologetically. The Lost Boys, Indians, and pirates bent over in laughter, clutching their stomachs and slapping their sides. Off to the distance by a running stream, the mermaids rolled their eyes and turned away, admiring how their tails neatly transformed into legs once they were out of the water and completely dry.

_"Those boys,"_ Tinker Bell shook her head and sighed.

_"I thought it was kind of funny,"_ giggled Flameburst, darting off to find another corncake to munch on.

_"Boys will be boys,"_ chuckled Blue Falls. He grinned as he watched two figures tussle in the shadows, laughter filling the air. _"Who would have thought it would be like this in Neverland?"_

The green-clad fairy followed his gaze and smiled with him. _"I know…no one in the real world would ever believe this if they could see it."_

Off to the further reaches of the Indian Village, what had started as a playful argument became a chase, resulting in a pair of tumbling figures that attacked one another. Captain James Hook grinned wickedly as he had the upper hand, so to speak, as he kept Peter Pan in a headlock and tousled his wild brown hair. Grunting, Peter squeezed out of his grasp and attacked the man by tickling his sides before snatching the man's hat and flying off, placing it on his head.

"It's not enough to steal my suit for the evening, now you need my hat?!" Hook snapped though he smiled and his eyes glistened.

"Admit it, it looks _way_ better on me than you," Peter teased.

"Come down here boy, and I'll cleave you to the brisket!"

The two fairies laughed at the scene before looking to the stars. Heaving a sigh, Tinker Bell accepted Blue Falls's hand, their fingers intertwining. The Anniversary celebration of their triumph and return to Neverland was winding down at last, and soon Wendy would call the boys together to return home while the drunken pirates would sway back down to the ship. The mermaids would return to their lagoon and all would be still until morning when Peter would awaken the island for more adventures and mishaps.

Sure enough, a young girl stepped gingerly through the trees and giggled as she watched Hook struggle to snatch his hat back from Master Pan.

"Peter!" she called from her place. His head jerked, his emerald eyes falling upon her. She beamed and waved. "Time to go!"

"Aw, Wendy! The fun was just starting!" Peter pouted, still refusing to return the hat to the pirate.

With his iron claw, Hook managed to snag the tip of his metal appendage onto one of Peter's boots. Smirking, he began to tug, only to receive an empty boot as Peter wiggled his leg out of the shoe. Now Hook pouted, until a lithe figure emerged from the trees.

"James, darling, I'm heading back to the ship," Christine yawned daintily. "I'm exhausted."

"Then let us return," Hook smiled at once, taking her in his arms. "The men will follow once Smee's given the order." Looking up, he tossed Peter the boot and promptly received his hat in return. With a smirk, he saluted the boy. "'Til dawn's light, Pan."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n Codfish!" Peter grinned. Flying off, he gathered Wendy in his arms and hovered over the village. With a loud crow, he alerted the rest of the Lost Boys of his departure. As they went to him, he grinned at Chief Great Big Little Panther and his daughter Princess Tiger Lily. "Great party! Thanks for having us! See you in the morning!"

Leading the boys off, he chuckled as he noticed how Mikey and Mouse rode on Nana's and Neko's backs, respectively. "Bedtime," he noted.

"But we're not sleepy," the Twins yawned.

"Yeah, and I'm a pixie," Ruff chuckled.

"Aren't you?" Jon smirked.

"Shuddup, Loverboy," he snapped.

"Look who's talking," Ben snickered.

"Would the three of you shut up?" Violet rolled her eyes.

"_Enough_!" Wendy ordered, silencing them at once. "Honestly. Will you never stop fighting?"

The three boys looked to one another, contemplated a moment, and looked back. "Nope!" they sang, grinning all the while.

"Hey, don't give your mother a hard time," Peter chuckled, loving the feel of her arms tightening their hold around his neck.

Len and Skipper whispered something to one another and began to laugh. Peter ignored them and flew a little faster. "Sleepy?"

"A little," Wendy responded softly, her eyelids fluttering. "But it was a lot of fun."

"Did I tell you how beautiful you looked tonight?" Peter whispered in her ear.

She blushed, a smile on her lips. "Several times…and you look dashing in Hook's coat…though I miss your usual outfit." Looking up at him, she touched his cheek. He surprised her by inclining his head suddenly, but she accepted his soft, gentle kiss. As he pulled away, he whispered, "I love you, Wendy lady."

"And I love you, Peter Pan."

**NEVERLAND**

Off in the distance shore, a mere speck on the horizon, another ship slowly snuck towards the island, a flaming red flag with a black hourglass flapped in the wind. _Jolie Rogue_ was painted on the side of the ship as a curvaceous figure peered through a telescope at the island.

"There she be…just as the playwright wrote it would be…" the figure said, a sinister smile curling on her lips.

A petite woman waddled up to her, panting as she handed over a frayed parchment. "Have…have we made it, Cap'n?" she gasped for breath.

Snatching the paper from the woman, the pirate grinned as she read over the map she had been given. "Aye…tomorrow, we attack."

The map was extremely old, the paintings delicate and elegant. It was a tiny island, filled with Injuns to the west, mermaids to the east, and pirates blocked the lagoon that led to the south entrance of the island. Mountains closed the island off from the unknown North shore, and there, standing in the clouds, watching over the island, was a little boy's silhouette.

"Peter Pan and Neverland…you're mine."

* * *

**A/N:** Welcome back everyone! For those of you new to the story, welcome! For those of you that are returning, welcome back! I'm so glad you decided to drop by and see what's up. I certainly hope this will meet your expectations and that you'll enjoy it. *sigh* I only own OCs and the crazy plots. Think of this sequel in a TV format if you will, like a follow-up to a movie ^_^ Anyways, please don't forget to let me know what you think of it and I'll see you next time!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The sun's rays were just kissing the sky when the inhabitants of the Home Under the Ground began to stir. Peter's eyelids fluttered open, his vision blurry with sleep as he mumbled and pulled the covers up to his head. Already, however, his mind was spinning with what he could do that day. Yawning, he stretched and lay under the covers a while, letting his body catch up to his mind on awareness and willingness. When he finally kicked the covers off, he noted how Tink's apartment was empty.

"Hm," he muttered, flying to the empty house. It was composed of pieces of an old, broken dollhouse, with little bits of furniture still in there. Tinker Bell had fixed it to her liking and it was now filled with creations she herself had made. Seeing how Blue Falls's room was also barren, Peter concluded that they must be taking a private, early morning flight. Stretching once more, he went to the wash basin and splashed his face.

Living in the underground hideout was not quite the same as it had been many moons ago. What was once a large room was now a string of room branching out but still connected to the large main room that belonged to a smaller, younger Peter Pan and his band of miscreants. It was thanks to gnomes that the rooms, tunnels, and any other extensions were created, one of them even leading all the way to the Indian Village…but that's a story for another time.

Having finally freshened up, Peter moved the bearskin curtain and tied it aside, leaving the doorway to his room open for the fairies to pass upon arrival. Stepping into the large main room, he surveyed the view.

The master bed remained closest to his room with Wendy's room on the other side. In the bed slept the Twins, Skipper, Mikey, and Mouse. Nana and Neko were curled up on top of one another at the foot of the bed, snoring contentedly. Across from them was the large main entrance and exit to the Underground House. A stairway that led into the open area continued through the opening. It was through this stairway that it would branch off into several different paths the led to each tree of each child that lived in the house. Towards the middle of the room was the thick trunk of a gigantic Never-tree, which had grown during Peter's neglect after the first Wendy and original Lost Boys had left. They used the trunk to hang their coats and weapons mostly, as well as post any artwork the little ones had made. The open area around it was where they would set blankets, pillows, stools, and a table whenever it was mealtime. The broom closet was off to the corner, and just down to its left was the fireplace. A little oven had been added into the same wall, as well as cupboards. Their little pantry was off to another corner, full and well stocked with ingredients and emergency items.

Sitting by its lonesome was Wendy's rocking chair, set beside her room. Flying silently to the doorway, Peter moved the buckskin aside and peered in. He smiled upon seeing Wendy, gently breathing as she snuggled under the covers. Stepping aside, he moved to the room next door, where Violet slept soundly. Flying once more to the other side of the little house, he checked Ruff's room before checking on the other boys who slept in the second largest room. Lump, Partly, Len, Ben, and Jon all snored away, grumbling and turning in their sleep.

Chuckling, Peter grabbed a mammee-apple before exiting the house and slipping out of his tree. Flying towards the top of the same Never-tree that had grown through the ceiling of the Underground House, he peeked into the Wendy house that sat atop it in the midst of the other trees of the forest. The fairies and elves had seized control of it in the evening and had fallen asleep. Some of them stirred from their slumber and were waking the others. Peter grinned and flew away, knowing that they would be gone by the time he returned. Soaring above the trees and past the jungles, he made his way to a peculiar little perch that remained in a nook on the nearest mountain. Landing lightly, munched on his fruit, grabbed a vine and hung onto it as he lazily swayed, looking over his island.

The sun seemed to stretch as it showed its brilliant face over the horizon, setting the sky on fire. The light trickled over Mermaid's Lagoon, the waterfall bursting and sparkling as it did, a set of small twin rainbows streaking the sky over the lagoon. To the other side, the Indians' camp was already teeming with life, smoke languidly curling to the sky as the redskins cooked their breakfast. Roars and screeches began sporadically in different segments of the island, signaling the awakening of the wildlife.

Chewing thoughtfully, Peter licked his lips clean as he finished his snack, tossing the core carelessly into the green depths below. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, letting the rich, damp air fill him when a blast shook the island. Opening his eyes, his brows furrowed, he squinted as he stared out to the Pirate's Cove. The cannon's fire did not cease…in fact, it sounded as though there was more than one ship. Pursing his lips in curiosity, Peter gracefully leapt off the ledge of his perch. Diving, he waited until the last moment to pull up and zoom over the treetops. Surging, cutting the wind in half, he found his way to Kidd's Creek and followed it to the south, where the _Jolly Roger_ lay anchor.

Nearing the pirates' ship, he stopped in midair, stunned to see a grand, gleaming vessel attacking the _Jolly Roger_ broadside. The words _Jolie Rogue_ were emblazoned on the hull, the beautiful, fierce bust of an Amazon warrior at the front of the ship. Watching in awe, Peter saw a group of pirates from the enemy ship board Hook's vessel. His eyes widened upon seeing who was on deck.

"…they're…they're _women_ pirates?!" he gasped. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he shouldn't be so surprised, and yet he had to wonder how on earth they managed to get here. Frowning, he dove down close to the water, making sure to stay out of sight as he neared the ships. He wanted to know who these strange females were before he jumped in. Sneaking up the hull of the _Jolly Roger,_ he peeked over the side and watched as Hook stepped forth, brandishing his blade. No one was fighting at the moment, but he knew that could change in an instant.

"Who the devil do you think you are?" snarled Hook, his eyes flashing from blue to red.

Stepping towards him was a woman decked in scarlet, her hair seeming to be created from flames themselves as it shone and glistened in the early light. Her blood red lips stretched into a smile as she looked back at the pirate with her hazel brown eyes. "Me? I be Captain Scarlet Morgan. And I take it _you're_ the infamous Captain Hook?"

He did not budge from his stance, eyeing her disdainfully. "What do you want, wench?"

"I expected a bit more of decorum from you, Hook," she sniffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder rather suggestively. "I read that you were a gentleman as much as a pirate, but I see I was wrong."

"I chose when I wish to be a gentleman," purred Hook menacingly. "And right now, I chose to be a pirate!" The men gave a rowdy cry in agreement, glaring at the women invaders.

"Mmh…interesting," she murmured, eyeing him with intrigue and lust. "Hear me out, Hook…I thought you'd be dead by now. We're you eaten by a croc?"

"Yes, well, I have more lives than an accursed cat, as you can see," he sneered.

"Indeed," she noted, adjusting her feathered hat over her brow. "Well, I propose an allegiance, Captain Hook."

"Allegiance?" Hook raised an eyebrow. "Whatever for?"

"Think about it," she grinned, placing one foot on a nearby barrel, displaying her tan thigh. One pirate went to whistle at the sight until a she-pirate from Morgan's crew pointed a pistol at his head. "I help you destroy your nemesis, and we rule this island side by side. Peter Pan…_dead_. With you as King, and me as Queen." Crossing her arms over her chest, he bosom sticking out a little too much, she cockily raised an eyebrow and asked, "So? Are you in?"

Peter frowned as he listened to her. What was _her_ problem? Why did she want him dead? Perhaps the Hook from many moons ago would have agreed to such a proposal…but then again, what was stopping Hook from agreeing now? They were, after all, still mortal enemies…

"Why did you come all this way to make such an offer?" Hook asked, relaxing his stance just a smidge.

"What's with that? I come here offering to help you get rid of that blasted boy and you keep asking questions?!" she scowled.

"I like to make sure I'm not going in over my head when I make a deal," Hook said pleasantly, rubbing a smudge off of his hook with his thumb. "What do you get out of helping me kill Peter Pan?"

"The satisfaction that the little runt can't cause you anymore trouble and helping you finally triumph!" she declared. Her face softened at this, her eyes darting away. "…and to find a place I can belong…I've never…been wanted anywhere…and I know what it's like to constantly be disappointed…to be looked down on…"

Hook listened to her and tilted his head at her. "…you're of the real world…the _modern_ real world," he realized. "But how did you ever find such a vessel…? A crew…?"

"When you have a family that's as rich as mine, these are mere playthings," Scarlet shrugged, waving it off.

Peter curled his fingers so that his hands became tight fists. She was a Hook sympathizer, simple as that! She got lucky and found the island somehow (it takes longer if you go by ship with only your belief to guide you) and wanted to take over his home. She looked just a few years older than Wendy and Violet, too young to be a grown woman like Christine…

"_Christine!"_ Peter quickly scanned the deck to see if he could find the woman and grinned upon seeing her sneakily peer out of the porthole of Hook's cabin. Swiftly, he moved to the back where the stern windows stood. Tapping gently on the glass, he was rewarded at once.

"Peter!" she gasped, ushering him inside. "Did you hear what's going on?"

"Yeah," he nodded, moving up with her to the cabin door. Cracking the door open, they watched and listened to the rest of the conversation.

"I give you full control of my crew, of my ship, of myself," she finished, they men eyeing one another suspiciously. Even Smee gave her an odd look at the last bit. "All I'm asking is that you take me as your queen once we're rid of the brat." She gave him a pleading look, her eyes huge and glistening with unshed tears, her eyelashes batting against her cheek.

Christine felt her blood boil as she watched. "That little-!"

"Shh!" Peter hushed her. "Wait."

Hook remained silent, unfazed by her speech. "…I'm touched. Truly. I never expected such a thing as this would happen in me lifetime…however, I must decline your offer." As her eyes grew large in shock and hurt, he turned away. Shaking his head, he sighed. "Things are not what they were…perhaps if you had come many moons ago, I might've agreed. But…I cannot attack Pan."

Peter felt a proud grin stretch over his lips as he heard the man's words, an idea forming in his mind. "Quick, Chris! Hand me that hat!"

"What on earth are you planning?" she whispered, catching sight of the mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"You'll see," he winked, placing the hat on his head and waiting for the right moment…

"You _dare_ insult me in such a fashion?!" Scarlet fumed. Hook remained as he was, his arms crossed over his chest, his face set and stern. Stomping over to him, she hissed, "And just why, pray tell, can't you kill the boy?!"

"Father!"

Everyone froze at the new voice that boomed over their heads. The cabin doors swung open and slammed against the wood of the ship as a figure stepped out to greet them. The pirates' jaws hit the deck when they saw who stepped out of the cabin. Swinging down the banister and flipping in the air, the boy landed nimbly before Hook, Smee, and Scarlet, straightening at once.

"G'day, Father," Peter beamed, saluting the dumbfounded man. "Sorry I slept in. Ah, so that's what all the racket was about." He grinned at the confounded woman, sweeping his hat off of his head and bowing to her. "Milady, 'tis an honor."

She blinked, stunned. "…who…is this?" she asked Hook, pointing at Peter.

"Ah, pardon me. Where are my manners?" Peter scolded himself. Placing the wide-brimmed, feathered hat back on his head, he tipped it to her and said, "Peter Hook, son of Captain James Hook of the _Jolly Roger,_ the finest pirate who ever was, the only man Long John Silver ever feared!" Looking back to the stunned man, he winked, sending a hidden message.

The wheels churned in Hook's head as a wicked smile stretched upon his lips. "Aye…that's right…_son_." Turning to Scarlet, he placed an arm around Peter and smiled sweetly. "You see, my dear, instead of killing the little runt, I've managed to make him my son. Pan is dead and Hook is here…and that's why I cannot kill him. I've adopted him as me own kin…isn't that right, men?" Hook called out with a menacing tone. Luckily, the pirates had received a look from Smee urging them to agree for their lives depended on it. They cheered and growled and shouted "Aye, Cap'n!" leaving the females utterly perplexed.

"…he's…really Peter Pan?" she asked, unable to believe that this handsome young man was the child she had read about all throughout her youth.

"_Was_," Peter sniffed, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly. "I'm a Hook, now, and always will be!"

Hook couldn't help the proud, bursting feeling that filled him from within as he tightened his fatherly hold on her boy and exchanged grins. This would be fun…

* * *

**A/N: **I own nothing but the OCs and plot. Hope you all enjoyed and please don't forget to let me know what you think. See you next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"How did you manage-?!" gaped Scarlet, continuing to gawk at Peter as he meandered on deck, conversing with the pirates gaily.

"Ah, that's my little secret," Hook smirked.

"But then, that means-" she began.

"I technically control this little island," Hook nodded solemnly. "I do hope you understand why I was so hesitant when you made your demands, my dear…but it simply cannot be. I love the boy like he truly was my own and he loves me now." It tickled him how he said it so freely and yet he didn't feel like puking as he lied. Peter genuinely seemed to enjoy himself as he pretended to be his son…really, it was all Peter's idea to start with, so who knew? Perhaps Peter wanted to be his s-erm, a…pirate…?

"…you and Peter Pan…friends? Father and son?" she repeated, staring at the back of Peter's head. Her eyes darkened, her teeth grinding as she clenched her hands. "The _real_ Hook would've skewered him by now, not become some coddling wimp!" she snarled, drawing her sword on the man. "The real Hook was a villain, someone I could relate to! You're…you're just another _damn_ disappointment!" she wailed, swinging her sword at him.

He glared in return, effortlessly blocking her blows with his hook. "Frankly, my dear, I don't see what you were expecting of me or anyone here. Things are not as they used to be."

"That's for sure!"

Scarlet gasped as another blade came out of nowhere, nearly stabbing her side. Spinning around, her eyes widened upon seeing a proud and beautiful woman dressed smartly in black with coppery red hair. "That's _my_ husband you're insulting," she sneered.

"And this turned out to be a lot more interesting than I thought!" Peter crowed, flying to the battle and tossing the hat to Smee. "Hook I am not – but I _am_ Peter Pan!" he chuckled, giving a mocking bow to the female. "And you're trespassing on my island! Go home and never return!"

"NO!" she screeched, her own crewmates wincing at the sound. "You _can't_ make me leave! Do you have any idea what it's like? Constantly being told that you're not good enough?! That you've got to grow up? That nobody cares if you have problems?!" Pointing accusingly at Peter, she shook and trembled, her eyes watering. "I was the only kid who believed in you and your stupid stories at school…I told them you were going to come for me and they'd be sorry! But you never came, _never_! I thought you went to windows and took children far away from their miserable homes and lives…I thought you were a hero…but I was wrong!" Covering her face, she fell to her knees and wept. The female pirates grimaced and looked away in embarrassment while the crew of the _Jolly Roger_ watched on with intrigue and confusion.

"…I thought…if the good guy wouldn't come for me…I could go to the bad guy…and then at least I'd be…far away from the real world…" she hiccupped.

"That poor girl," Christine whispered.

Hook wrapped his arm around his wife but kept a watchful eye on the girl. He frowned when Peter approached her. He didn't trust this female…

"I'm sorry," Peter said softly, cautiously patting her head. "I didn't know…and to be honest, you don't know anything about what's been going on here either…"

Lifting her head, her eyes locked with his and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Look, no matter what, you're still you, and you should be happy with who you are," he told her. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise and stop you from chasing your dreams…" Offering a small smile, he asked, "So, now that you've accomplished this much…what'll you do?"

Looking past him, she caught sight of Christine watching them with Hook standing at her side. Something inside of her snapped, a frown returning to her lips. "Do?...I'll tell you what I'll do!" With a powerful shove, she tossed Peter aside and lunged forth, startling the pirates. With a sudden ferocity that filled her, she yanked Christine from Hook's arms, knocking the man down. As Smee came forth to attack, she fought him, knocking his sword from his hand.

"Girls!" she ordered, the pirates getting to work at once. Gathering Christine, the female buccaneers began to return to the ship. Christine struggled in their grasps, managing to knock one of the kidnappers unconscious until Scarlet took the liberty of smacking the handle of her sword against her skull.

"If you're really Hook and Pan, fight to the death," she sneered. "We'll be at the Mermaid's Lagoon, and if you're not there by noon, she loses her pretty head." She gave a gleeful cackle before giving the order to cast off.

"Christine!" Hook cried, running for the railing.

"No, Cap'n!" Smee said, grabbing onto the man's arm. "Ye can't just jump after her!"

"Release me!" Hook demanded. "Men, fire at will!"

"Smee's right, stop it!" Peter argued, grunting as he got up. "Wow, she's strong…"

"This is all _your_ fault!" Hook snapped, pointing at Peter.

"Hey, quit pointing fingers, I've had enough of that!" Peter frowned, swatting Hook's hand away from his face. "Look, she's not quite ok in the head, if you catch my drift."

"Perhaps a coconut or two hit her?" Smee asked, scratching his own noggin as he pondered.

This caused Hook to cover his face and shake his head, groaning in irritation. "By the time we decide what's wrong with the girl, she'll be long gone! Look!" Pointing with his hook, he motioned towards the ever moving _Jolie Rogue_, sailing swiftly away from them and towards the island.

"Listen to me!" Peter growled, grabbing the man by the shoulders. "She wants us to fight to the death. She wants us to be enemies." Grinning, he sat cross-legged in the air and tapped his temple. "So long as she thinks we're actually at each other's throats, she'll be mesmerized, right? That'll provide us enough time for a distraction to get Christine out."

Hook nodded as he listened, scratching his cheek with his iron claw. "I see…what exactly did you have in mind, boy?"

Whistling sharply, Peter motioned for the pirates to come in closer and listen. "Here's the plan…"

**NEVERLAND**

"What does he see in you that he doesn't in me?" Scarlet whimpered as she paced in her cabin.

"_Sanity?"_ Christine thought as she glared from her seat, bound and gagged to a chair in Captain Morgan's private quarters. The girl was officially off the walls – she was so bipolar and had no clue what was going on. One minute she was crying and having a pity party in the corner, and then the next minute she'd be plotting how to destroy Peter and Hook. It was dizzying, and Christine knew if she didn't hurry to find a way out, she might get killed within the next few minutes. Exhausted, she continued to stretch and wriggle the gag out of her mouth, spitting as she finally achieved her goal.

"Really, Captain, is this the way to go about things?" she asked cordially, her eyes catching sight of a knife nearby.

"What're you talking about?" the girl frowned, looking up from her charts.

"I mean, if you're going to hold me hostage and see the demise of Hook and Pan, you may as well do things like a real pirate," shrugged the woman. "You know, display me tied to the mast, have the men…erm, women, prepare the plank."

"You think you're so smart because you're married to Captain Hook, which I _still_ find hard to believe," she sneered, her ruthless side showing.

Raising an eyebrow at the girl, she asked, "Just what exactly do you have in mind?"

"I want to hang you from the yardarm! I'll slice your head off! I'll…I'll kill you!" she stammered, faltering suddenly.

Softening her tone, she asked, "How old are you, Scarlet?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at the woman before looking away. "…seventeen…what's it to you?"

"You ran away from home?" asked Christine, gently turning the chair and cautiously working her way back to the table, itching to get a hold of the knife.

"I was born into a very rich family that expected me to grow up very fast…my big sister died in an accident before I even turned twelve," confessed the girl. "I had my sister's funeral on my birthday…everyone expected more out of me and didn't bother asking how I felt about all this. Then this past year, the pressure got intense because they would talk about is doing a good job for testing to get into the best college money could buy…to do something my sister would've wanted…so I told them if they wanted me to do that, they would have to find me a pirate's ship with a female crew…I promised I would do my best if they would just give me that much…so they did."

Christine listened with interest and pity as she finally arrived at the table. Frantically, she grabbed the knife and kept it hidden in the ropes as Scarlet turned to face her.

"So I ran away…I wanted to make it to Neverland, but even if I didn't at least I'd be away from them," she said, her eyes filled with tears.

"But you can't get to Neverland without flying," protested Christine.

At this a smile stretched over Scarlet's lips. Stepping to a cabinet, she opened it and took out a lantern. In it was a petrified purple fairy, slamming his fists against the glass. "I found him outside my window one night…he's been my prisoner ever since."

Christine gaped at the fairy, seeing his fear and disgust for the girl shining in his large amethyst eyes. Narrowing her own brown eyes at Scarlet, she said, "Yes, it's was wrong of them to neglect you and suddenly put pressure on you to fulfill what your sister was meant to do, but you're not doing any better, Scarlet. Why do you want Neverland?"

"Why? Because I do." Setting the lantern down, she looked out the cabin window, gazing at the land. "I want everything I couldn't have back home…freedom…happiness…leisure…love…and I _will_ have it all…even if it's by force." Spinning around, she glared at the woman accusingly. "You're just one more obstacle to overcome…whoever wins the duel, be it Pan or Hook, he'll be mine, and we'll rule over Neverland and do whatever we wish!"

"They'd never agree to this," Christine shook her head.

"Not at first…but I can always change people's minds," smirked Scarlet, caressing the handle of her sword.

Just as Christine was beginning to wonder if she had a multiple personality disorder, a knock on the door distracted them. "Enter!" Scarlet demanded.

A small woman peeked her head into the room, her face pudgy but her eyes bright. She was old enough to be a grandmother but she jumped around as though she were a cricket. "Cap'n…you're not going to believe what you see," she giggled gleefully.

Placing her hat onto her head, Scarlet turned to Christine. "I'll be back for you later." Stalking out of the cabin, she followed her bosun. Snapping her fingers, she received a telescope instantly. The _Jolly Roger_ was well on its way to them, with Hook at the helm, glaring on in determination.

"He's so sexy when he's angry," she said languidly, earning a few whistles from the pirate women. "But where's Pan…?"

No sooner had she said the magic words, Peter Pan shot through the sky, brandishing his sword. Abandoning steering the ship, Hook drew his weapon and began to dance over the deck, warding off the boy. Peter laughed gleefully, dipping and swirling elegantly as Hook stabbed ever so gracefully.

"My God…I'm really watching them duel!" gasped Scarlet, her heart fluttering with delight and excitement.

The women pirates cheered, watching with piqued interested as the ship came closer to them.

"Blast you, boy!" Hook snarled. "It's all your fault my wife's been captured! I'll run you through!"

"Not before I cut off your other hand!" Peter jeered, gnashing his teeth at the man.

"Whoa," breathed Scarlet, fascinated. "Just how did he get older…? I thought Peter Pan was supposed to be a kid…?" Cocking one eyebrow, she gave a greedy smile. "Still…he's pretty hot."

The ships were within close range to one another, a few yards away from the Mermaids' Lagoon. The she-fish watched on intently, waiting…

Peter somersaulted in the air once, twice, three times, and gave a great crow. Looking to one another, they nodded, waving at one of the younger mermaids. Conch sat innocently on the rocks, noticing her sisters' greeting. Casually, she looked down at her tail, a smile gracing her face. There, hidden behind her seat, were Ben and Jon. They grinned back and waited as she slipped into the water. Taking a deep breath, they joined her. Grabbing onto her arms, they shot through the water with her to the _Jolie Rogue_, their knives tucked into their belts.

Upon arriving at the ship, their heads popped up out of the water, the two boys gasping for air. Craning their heads, they saw that the pirates' attention was completely on the battle ongoing on the other side of the ship.

"Thanks, Conch," Jon nodded, cautiously flying up to the cabin window.

"Be careful," the little mermaid whispered to her beloved.

"Don't worry, we'll be ok," Ben grinned, kissing her sweetly before joining his fellow Lost Boy.

Giving an uncertain nod, she dove back into the water, her tail flicking at it slapped the surface.

Crawling up the side of the ship, the boys set to work at the window lock, sharing a satisfactory grin when it gently clicked open. Slipping inside, they saw a single figure tied to a chair.

"Benny!" gasped Christine, her face aglow.

"Aunt Chris!" Ben beamed, flying over to her.

"Am I glad to see you boys," she breathed in relief. "I've got a knife in my hands here and I've already started cutting, but it's tricky."

"That's why we're here," Jon stated, noticing the glowing shape in the lantern on the desk. "Who's this?" he asked, peering into the glass. "A fairy?"

"Scarlet captured him and used his dust to get here," she explained. "I think he wants out as much as I do."

Seeing how Ben cut his aunt free, Jon opened the latch and chuckled as the fairy flew out, spinning around him in gratitude. He began to chime incessantly, causing Jon to put his hands up in surrender. "Calm down. We can talk later, ok? Care to join us?" The little fairy nodded, landing on the boy's head.

"Ok, all done," Ben said, yanking the ropes off of his aunt.

Jon offered his hand and helped her up, motioning for them to head to the cabin door. "Perfect, now we just have to wait for Peter's death and-"

"Wait, what?!" asked Christine, stunned.

"Trust us," Ben grinned, handing one of the many cutlasses in the room over to Christine. "It's all part of the plan, but for now, let's watch the show…"

* * *

**A/N:** My apologies if Scarlet's giving you all whiplash, I'm still trying to recover myself *swaying dizzily* I own nothing but the OCs and the insanity that ensues. I hope you're all enjoying and please let me know what you think so far. See you next time! (And thanks to my reviewers for leaving your messages :))


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hey everyone, here I am again. Hope you enjoy the conclusion of this segment and please let me know what you thought of it. Don't forget to vote for your favorite couple from "Pan's Never-Neverland" if you haven't already done so :) Enjoy! (and I don't own anything already! *sigh*)

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Hook snatched a rope and swung over to the _Jolie Rogue_, chasing the boy in red and green. Glowering at him, he raised his hook and gave a great cry, slicing the boy's tunic. At once, a red fluid spurted out, splattering the deck, Hook's face, and Peter's clothes. Peter gasped, his eyes huge as Hook roughly yanked his iron claw away from his chest.

"Thus perished Peter Pan," Hook sneered, watching the boy collapse to the floor, limp at last. "What? No little quip before you die? Aren't you afraid of death?"

"…it's…an awfully big…adventure…" Peter sighed, his eyes closing. All was still…

Scarlet stared at the red stains, her eyes huge with disbelief. Covering her mouth, she felt a trickle of guilt and fear fill her. "…you…you really killed him…"

"Very perceptive," Hook huffed, sheathing his sword. Stomping over to her, he brandished his hook. "Now where is my wife?!"

"You actually _killed_ him!" she wailed, tears spilling from her eyes.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Hook frowned. "One of us dead?"

"Yes, but I…I thought that…" she stammered.

"Thought what, hmm? That he would win? That we might call it off at the last minute? I warn you, my dear," he snarled. "I will do anything to get my wife back…I've done my part. Now do yours."

"He…he was the only one who actually talked to me…_really _talked to me…" Her frame shook, her eyes burning and she faced the man. "I changed my mind…I'll kill you _and_ your little girlfriend!"

"I don't think so," Hook smirked.

A crow pierced the air, startling the women pirates so much that they actually jumped in surprise. Shooting up off the deck, Peter grinned, wiping the berry juice off of his chest and over his cheeks like Indian war paint. "Lost Boys and pirates – attack!"

The cries of Lost Boys filled the air as Hook's crew boarded the _Jolly Roger_, anxious for a skirmish. Bursting out from the cabin, Christine led Jon and Ben out, all of them giving battle cries as they joined the fray.

"You tricked me!" Scarlet screeched, waving her sword at Captain Hook.

"We all did," he smiled, fighting back. "We're not letting you bully us!"

The pirates roared with excitement, giddy for a real battle. Having become friendly with Peter and the Lost Boys since the Shade incident, they did not have the same bloodlust they'd had before. Now, with these new pirates (gender made no difference to them), it offered them an outlet to release their aggression. These female buccaneers were not the least bit squeamish either, making the battle much more enjoyable.

Ducking under the blades of her fellow shipmates, Bosun Maggie yelped and scolded the girls as they fought with the males. She had no intentions of fighting and planned to stay as close to the cabin as possible. As she squeezed past a set of brawling pirates, she tripped over someone's foot. With a gasp of bewilderment, she collapsed on top of the closest being.

"Oof!" she heard him say.

"Sorry! Sorry!" she stammered, scrambling to get up. Turning, she found herself nose to nose with the bosun of the _Jolly Roger_. They blinked at one another, shyly smiling.

"How d'ya do?" Smee mumbled, tipping his hat to her.

"Hello," she blushed.

"_Maggie_!" Scarlet snapped as she thrust her blade at Hook, seeing the scene unfold. "Kill the bloody idjit!"

Smee and Maggie exchanged glances and pouted, sticking their tongues at the girl before getting up and scurrying away.

"I'll destroy you all!" Scarlet panted, quickly wearing out from the battle.

"Just what is it that you really want, hmm?" Hook asked, not even breaking a sweat as he easily blocked her blows. "Attention? Treasure? Respect? You'll get none of it with that behavior and mentality." He began to smirk as he fought, seeing how tired she was, when she screamed and with a fierce movement of her arm, she managed to knock his blade from his grasp.

"James!" cried Christine, running through the fray. "NO!"

"You don't know what you want, do you?" Hook asked as he fell back against the railing, watching her with stern eyes.

Peter disposed of an attacker, huffing with frustration, when he heard Christine scream. "PETER!" He jerked his head down, catching sight of her pointing across the deck. "Help him, please!" she pleaded, warding off another pirate.

Seeing Hook and Scarlet, he gripped his sword and whizzed through the air. "Scarlet, stop!" he demanded, landing before her.

"You tricked me!" she shrieked, her eyes wide and mad, not really seeing who or what was before her. Raising his arm, Peter gripped her wrist, stopping her hand in its track. As he did so, he saw her other hand swiftly dart to her belt, pulling out a pistol. Raising her armed hand, she began to take aim at Hook when Peter, clouded with anger, brought down his sword on her.

A terrible scream filled with air, causing all to freeze in their tracks. Peter fell back with a thud, his eyes widening at the sight of Scarlet's arm plopping down beside him. The pistol slid away from it as the fingers went slack. Peter blinked, stunned. He hadn't expected to cut off so much. His mind cleared as he realized he's chopped off her arm to her elbow. Gawking, he lifted his head to see the screeching girl.

Her eyes were even bigger than before, bloodshot with terror as she shrieked in pain and horror. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!" she screeched, seeing her bones sticking out of her flesh. With her left arm gone, she gripped her sword tightly in the other hand.

Hook stared in disbelief as he processed what had happened. He watched as Peter cautiously got up and took the pistol, handing it to the pirate. "Get the others out of here," the boy whispered urgently.

Nodding, Hook started to move when Scarlet noticed them. "Don't move!" she wailed, moving her sword at them.

Thinking fast, Peter grabbed her amputated arm and held it up. "Stay where you are!" he ordered, snarling at her. She froze in an instant, terrified at the sight of her arm.

Hook took this moment to get up. "Men! Back to the ship," he barked, watching them run back. He wrapped his arms around Christine, giving a relieved sigh.

"James, I-!" she started only to be silenced by his lips in a hurried, heated kiss.

"I'm all right," he reassured her, urging her along. "Come, hurry!" He caught sight of the Lost Boys flying away as well, taking a seat at the top of the yardarm when a sound caught his attention.

_Tick-tock, tick-tock…_

His eyes widened in fear at this, and it didn't escape Christine's notice. "Let's go," she whispered, tugging him onward. "Smee! Time to leave!"

The chubby older man waddled after them before giving an apologetic smile to Maggie in her hiding place. Once they were back on the ship, Hook took a deep breath and gave the order to cast off.

"Hold up!" Ruff frowned, landing before him. "What about Peter?!"

Looking to the ship once more, Hook felt his eyes widen as Peter began walking backwards onto a plank they had set for Christine. If the crocodile wasn't visible here on their side, then that meant…!

"You need serious help," Peter stated firmly as he walked along the plank.

"Yeah, with my arm," she fumed, reaching for him. "Give it back."

"Leave Neverland and you can have it back," Peter frowned.

Her eyes burned with a madness he once saw in Hook's face many moons ago. "_Never_."

"Very well, then you'll pay the consequences," he said, stepping off of the plank and falling to the water.

"PETER!" Ruff shouted, watching in horror as he vanished from sight.

What they could not see was the Crocodile breaking the water's surface, her mouth wide open. Twisting his body just so, Peter flung the arm into the reptile's mouth before sharply turning and shooting back into the air. The Crocodile's snout shut, a satisfied growl rumbling in her throat.

"NOOOOOO!" screamed Scarlet, falling to her knees, hopelessly reaching towards the water with her one hand.

The Crocodile, hearing her cry, looked up and gave a horribly hungry grin. She paled upon seeing it, running back onto the ship as the Crocodile leapt up and bit the plank off. Looking to the sky, she howled, "You'll pay for this, Peter Pan! I'll get you for this!"

Peter glanced back, feeling pity for the girl though he now knew that she would prove to be a new, interesting foe in Neverland. Landing on the ship, the boys gave a cheer, crowding around the Eternal Youth with the pirates. All of them grinned, clapping their hands on his back and shoulders until Christine barged through.

"Thank you," she breathed, embracing him tightly. "Oh, thank you, Peter…I don't know what I would've done if James had been…if he…"

"It's ok," Peter said, hugging her back before releasing her. "After all, what would Neverland be like without Hook around to keep us entertained?"

"Very touching," Hook rolled his eyes, though he felt a bit of pride swell within his breast. "What exactly did you do with her arm anyway?"

"Same as I did with your hand – fed it to the Croc," Peter smiled.

The boys gawked at him, stunned.

"But, Peter," Len asked, raising an eyebrow. "Won't she hate you even more?"

"I don't know what she feels about me, but either way, it'll keep her distracted, and I _did_ warn her," he responded with a shrug. "Besides, now the Croc will have to make a choice if she ever crosses both Scarlet and Hook at the same time."

The idea clicked at once in the back of Hook's mind as an impish grin stretched over his face. A hearty laugh filled the air as they sailed back to their little cove. Tousling Peter's hair, he chuckled, "Then I'm much obliged to you, Pan. You've provided me a form of escape through that psychopathic piratical person."

"That, and I've also given her plenty of reason to leave," Peter added. "She says she'll stay, and maybe she will. But hopefully, one day, she'll be so scared by the Croc that she'll leave…it's unlikely, but we can always hope. Either way," he grinned, throwing his arms around Skipper and Ruff. "She's provided us with plenty more danger and adventure in Neverland!"

"I'm sure Wendy will be thrilled to hear that," Christine smirked, seeing the girl flying towards the ship with Violet and Tiger Lily, the fairies close behind.

"Peter!" Wendy cried, tackling him with a hug. "Tinker Bell told us what happened, and then I heard a scream! Just what were you thinking?!" she scolded him.

"We had to save Christine," Peter pouted, looking very much like a punished child.

"And we've made a new friend," Jon announced, pointing to the fairy hiding in his hair.

"Hello there," Peter chuckled. "Who're you?"

"_Um…I'm…Sapling,"_ the fairy spoke, muttering and ducking his head shyly.

"Everyone, this is Sapling," Peter announced. "You could stay with us, Sap. We've got plenty of space."

Sapling began to protest when the other fairies joined in, surrounding him.

"Hey, my head isn't an office table!" Jon frowned.

"_I'm Tinker Bell, and this is Blue Falls and Flameburst,"_ the tinker introduced herself and the bunch in the fairy language. _"Peter's right – you're welcome to stay with us."_

"_Really?"_ he asked, his face lighting up. Upon seeing Flameburst smile and wave, he turned a dark shade of violet as he blushed.

Violet laughed, seeing how they talked and how Sapling change colors. "I guess we've got a new addition."

"Come on, let's go home," Peter said, leading the Lost Children into the air. Saluting, he waved at Hook at took off, his family in tow.

Holding Christine to his chest, he watched Peter leave, a soft smile on his lips. "Thank you, Peter…take care."

**NEVERLAND**

"_Yes, Peter, take care…"_

A set of wicked, slanted, glowing black eyes watched from the clouds above, frowning at the laughing boy. _"You won't be laughing for long…perhaps the moody wench didn't do you in, but you _will_ pay for what you've done…I'll make sure of it…"_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Birds in their perches chirped happily until a gunshot spooked them, causing them to squawk and flap away. Deep within the Never-Forest were two pirates, Keller and Kipper, tying up a stag they had just hunted down.

"The Cap'n will be pleased," Keller grunted as he hefted the heavy creature over his shoulder.

"I know _I'm_ pleased," Kipper chuckled, leading the way back to the beach. "This is fit for a king's meal!"

"Aye," frowned Keller. "And that king is Hook. We're lucky if we get any scraps. This is mostly all for him and the missus."

"Maybe, but he's much happier now than he was years ago," Kipper grinned boyishly. He was the youngest of the pirates, a youth in his early twenties, while Keller was a rowdy, crude man in his late forties.

A mango shot out from the trees, splattering all over Keller's head.

"WHO DID THAT?!" he demanded, furiously spinning around to see who was the cause of his distress. He ached to wrap his fingers around the little cretin's neck. He was certain there was a Lost Boy hiding somewhere nearby – they were always picking on him one way or another, especially Mikey and Jon, who hadn't forgotten the man's crude remarks when he first met their sister, Wendy.

"Oh, it was probably just a monkey," chuckled Kipper. "Playful little boogers…"

"I'll be a monkey's uncle if that was a monkey," pouted Keller, wiping the sticky flesh from his face.

"Come on, we can't keep the Captain waiting," Kipper urged him, following their tracks through the forest.

Keller looked about once more, grunting grumpily, before continuing on with the deer's carcass slung across his back.

For several seconds, everything was silent again…and then, the giggles came. Off in a sturdy oak sat Partly, Mikey, Mouse, Flameburst, and Sapling, unable to hold back their laughter any longer.

"Good one, Mikey!" Partly guffawed. "Right on the ol' noggin!"

Mouse giggled so much that he began to hiccup.

"_Do you do this all the time?"_ Sapling asked Flameburst, trying to contain his laughter.

"_No, but whenever we do, it is funny," _she grinned. _"Pirates and Lost Boys have been enemies for so long that even now in peace they still bother one another. Otherwise, it wouldn't be any fun and we'd probably go back to feuding!"_

He nodded his understanding, ducking his head shyly. _"You've all been very kind to me since you rescued me from Scarlet's ship…thank you."_ In response, the fiery hued fairy kissed his cheek, causing him to sparkle even brighter than before.

"Yuck!" Mouse exclaimed, making a face.

Partly rolled his eyes at the fairies while Mikey continued to giggle. As he opened his eyes, a faint flicker caught his eye. Looking to another tree, he was intrigued by a glossy crimson fruit that hung daintily on its branch. "Hey, look!" he said, pointing at the item. "What's that fruit?"

Partly and Mouse followed his gaze, their eyes widening at the sight of the shining oval.

"Apple?" Mouse suggested.

"I don't think so…apples are smaller and rounder," Partly shook his head, one eyebrow raised curiously as he began to analyze the fruit. "And they're not so glossy..." Flying towards it, he was followed by the others. Plucking it from its stem, he ran his fingers over the surface. "It's so smooth…" He sniffed it and was stunned by the mouthwatering aroma. "Smells good, too."

"Can we eat it?" Mikey asked eagerly.

"_Hold it!"_ Flameburst squeaked, flying in front of the fruit as so to block it from them. _"Something doesn't feel right…this fruit isn't native to Neverland!"_

"So we'll take it to Peter and see what he says," Partly concluded, lifting off into the air again. "C'mon, let's head back. Must be suppertime by now."

As the little entourage took off, they failed to notice a dark shadow peek out from behind another tree, his dark eyes narrowed in expectation. _"Yes, boys…take it to Peter…"_

**NEVERLAND**

Down in the Home Under the Ground, the boys flocked to the main room and prepared their table and seats as Wendy finished roasting three fat rabbits over the fire. She wiped her hands free of grease before looking over her shoulder. "Ruff, would you help me get these onto the table?"

"Sure, 'Mommy'," Ruff chuckled, making sure his Mohawk was in place before departing from the boys and heading over to the fireplace.

"Thanks, 'Son'," she smirked smartly, watching him remove their dinner from the fire and place it on the table while she gathered the bread she had baked. "Now where are the others…?"

A crow filled the room as Peter flew in, immediately earning the boys' attention.

"Speak of the devil himself," Violet laughed, giving Wendy a hand with the meal. "Looks like he found the vegetables you wanted."

"Do we have to?!" the Twins pouted in protest.

"Vegetables don't taste so bad, that's just a myth!" Wendy winked, taking the corn and carrots from Peter. She accepted a sly, quick kiss on the corner of her mouth as well, blushing as the boys began to "oooh!"

"If you wanna 'oooh!' at something, you should hear what happened while I was flying back from the Indian Village!" Peter grinned, instantly changing the subject and distracting them.

"What happened?" Len asked, his eyes bright and eager as the boys crowded around him.

As Peter opened his mouth to speak, he was interrupted by the sound of his name.

"Peter! Peter!" Mikey shouted, tumbling down the staircase. Close behind him were Mouse and Partly. Sapling followed Flameburst to the table where Violet set down the last bit of food.

"Hey, mitts off, Flame," the gothic female chided the orange-red fairy.

"Peter, look what we found!" Mikey exclaimed, proudly pointing at the fruit in Partly's hands.

"Food?" Mouse asked, hopeful.

"Do you know what it is?" Partly asked, handing it over to his leader.

Taking it in his hands and observing it, Peter raised an eyebrow at it. "Huh…I've never seen this fruit before…but then again, Neverland is full of things we haven't explored or discovered yet."

"What do you suppose it is?" Jon asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Well, it's definitely not a mammee-apple," Lump stated, staring at it in awe.

"What're you all looking at?" Wendy asked, she and Violet sqeezing their way over to the group.

"We found it, Wendy, and it smells so yummy!" Mikey beamed. "Could you make a pie out of it?"

"_What's all the fuss about?!"_ Tinker Bell whined, whizzing out of her little house with Blue Falls. Her eyes landed on the strange fruit and she stopped, her brows furrowing. _"Where did you find that?"_

"Mikey found it on one of the trees, just a ways down from the beach," Partly explained. "Why? Is it poisonous?"

"_I don't know…but I don't like it,"_ she frowned.

Blue Falls examined the fruit, tapping his cheek. _"Tink's right. We don't know anything about this sort of fruit."_

"Oh, come on, I can at least try it," Peter grinned, bringing it to his lips. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Famous last words," Ben muttered.

"Peter, maybe we should listen to them," Wendy began, reaching out to him.

By this time, Peter's mouth had opened, his teeth piercing the ruby skin. A sticky, succulent juice immediately oozed out as he chewed and swallowed. "Wow, this tastes great!" he grinned. "Wendy, you've gotta try…!" he stopped, his eyes glazing over. The red fruit tumbled from his hand and splattered at once into nothingness on the floor.

"Peter?!" Wendy gasped, withdrawing her hand in fear.

"_Oh, no! Peter!"_ Tinker Bell cried, fear filling her stomach.

At once, Peter's body lifted off of the ground, a strong wind filling the Underground House. It surrounded him, causing his frame to glow as brightly as a fairy.

"Boys, get back!" Ruff ordered, watching on in worry as his friend was engulfed in light. "Peter! Peter, can you hear me?!"

The light became so bright that they had to shield their eyes, wincing until they felt the wind die down. Nana and Neko blinked in awe at the person who remained in Peter's place, sniffing the air to make sure it was the right being. Cautiously, they looked up, their eyes widening in shock as they saw who stood before them.

A boy of twelve years of age floated in their midst, his brown hair curling wildly over his bright emerald eyes. A set of freckles was sprinkled over the bridge of his nose as he cockily raised an eyebrow at them. He was clad in skeleton leaves and the juices that oozed out of tree. Barefoot and sun-kissed, with a sword strapped to his side and a set of panpipes hanging around his neck, he was the loveliest boy they had ever seen.

"…Peter?" Wendy whispered, unable to believe her eyes.

Finally focusing on the group before him, he gnashed his little pearls at them, drawing his sword. "Who are you, and what're you doing in _my_ home?!" Peter snapped, pointing his blade at them.

"_Peter?! Peter Pan!"_ Tinker Bell gasped, flying to him at once. _"Peter, it's us! Don't you remember?! What's happened to you?!"_

"Tink, who are these people?" Peter asked, giving the fairy a perplexed look. "The Lost Boys left with Wendy ages ago. What're these strangers doing here?"

It gave Tink some pleasure to know that she was one of the few people he remembered, but it did nothing to help the situation. She began to mentally curse that blasted fruit and its creator. _"Peter, don't you remember? These are your new Lost Boys!"_

"New Lost Boys?" Peter asked, his face lighting up. "Wonderful!" He somersaulted in midair, gurgling with his first laugh. Placing the sword back in its sheath, he bowed to them. "Introductions are awfully important! I'm Peter Pan, and you are…?"

"Pete, it's us!" Ruff said, frightened by the loss of Peter's memory. "Remember? I'm Ruff. And that's Ben, the Twins, Mikey, Partly, Mouse, Jon, Skipper, Len, Violet, Neko, Nana, Flameburst, Sapling, Blue Falls, and Wendy!"

Peter followed his hand as he motioned to each person until he came upon Wendy. His eyes widened as a smile stretched over his lips. "Wendy! You came back for spring cleaning!" He tackled her with a hug, giggling gleefully.

Torn between wanting to cry and wanting to hug him, she pulled back and grasped his shoulders. "Peter…I'm…I'm not the Wendy you think I am," she started gently, her eyes locking with his. "I'm Wendy's descendant…her great-great-granddaughter. I'm also named Wendy…Oh, Peter, don't you remember anything?!" she pleaded, praying to see some form of recognition in his eyes.

He blinked at her. "…you're not my Wendy?"

"No, I am, I'm just…!" Biting her lip, she covered her face, fear filling her. She didn't want to cry in front of them, but the despair and worry within her heart seemed to be growing stronger and stronger.

"Wendy?" Peter asked, feeling horrible at the sight of her weeping. "Wendy lady, don't cry!" Kneeling down, he took her hands away from her face and brushed away her tears. As he did so, his thumb brushed against the corner of her mouth, the exact place he had kissed her when he entered the Home not five minutes ago. His eyes glazed over once more, a memory stirring from the deep recesses of his mind. Shaking his head, his brows furrowed, he focused on her face again, studying her. "…no, you're not Wendy…not _her_," he realized, something coming back to him in a blur. "But…you are _my_ Wendy."

Raising her eyes, she saw the flicker in his eyes as he began to find her familiar again. "Peter…don't you remember? You found us in Maine…you fought Shade…"

"Who's Shade? A pirate?" he asked, lost once more.

Shaking her head, Wendy sighed and gave a sad smile. "No…never mind. Um…are you hungry? Dinner's ready."

He grinned at once, nodding his head. Flying off of the ground, he helped her up and barged his way through to the table.

The Lost Boys exchanged glances, all of them thinking the same thing: _"Whatever is wrong with Peter, we hope it gets fixed soon!"_

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you to **grapejuice101, AMaysBrain, and idontfixcomputers** for constantly reviewing ^_^ Hope you all enjoyed this one and please don't forget to let me know what you thought of it. See you all next time! *falls asleep at laptop*


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Dinner was awkward at the start that evening, for the boys didn't know what to expect of their youthful leader. But Peter was as amiable as he was before, joking and laughing, warming the atmosphere at once. The younger boys instantly joined in with his jests, and one by one the older boys joined in. Tinker Bell was so happy she couldn't contain herself and coddled him constantly.

"This is so weird," whispered Violet, watching him as he engaged Ruff in an arm-wrestling contest. "He's still Peter, just…miniature? And he's slightly more hyper."

"But he's still just as reckless," Wendy noted.

"Wendy lady, what story are you telling us today?" Peter called over the table, grinning at her.

"Oh, um…King Arthur?" she suggested with an uncertain smile.

"Wonderful!" Peter crowed.

"Peter, are you sure you're ok?" Mikey asked for the hundredth time, feeling guilty about having found the fruit.

"Of _course_ I'm alright!" Peter pouted. "Why does everyone keep insisting that I'm ill?"

"Boys, won't you help me clear off the table?" Wendy smoothly cut in, the boys giving her grateful looks as they complied. "Remember to wash up before getting into bed."

The boys did as they were told, scurrying off to one of the separate tunnels that led to an underground bathhouse with steaming springs and trickling streams to clean up. Peter cut in front of all of them, insisting indignantly that he be the leader, but was amazed and lost at once by the tunnels which he was now unfamiliar with.

"Violet, what are we going to do?" Wendy whispered, looking to her friend as well as the fairies as they helped her wash the dishes in a bucket loaded with soapy suds. "He ate that fruit and now's reverted back to his original state. I mean, it's not terrible, it's just…how did that happen? And why?"

"I don't know," Violet shook her head. "But I was wondering the same thing, too."

"_I knew there was something fishy about that fruit," _Blue Falls frowned, shaking his head. _"There's a strong, strange magic to it…whoever set that fruit there knew that the boys would take it to Peter and that he'd be the first to try it…this was no accident. I can sense it."_

"_But who would want to hurt Peter?" _Sapling asked, confused.

"_It can't be the pirates, and definitely not the Indians or mermaids," _Flameburst shook her head.

"_You silly asses!"_ Tinker Bell chimed. _"It couldn't have been any humans, this is old fairy magic at work…whoever did it has been around for some time and is very powerful…"_ At once, a horrible thought came to mind, causing her to shudder. _"…it almost reminds me of…Shade."_

The last word was but a whisper, but the fairies and girls froze, their eyes glued to Tinker Bell.

"But…he's…he's dead, right?" Violet insisted. "There's no way he could be around-"

"Maybe Shade isn't the one responsible for this," Wendy shook her head. "Maybe it's someone like Shade…"

"_But wasn't Shade human?"_ Sapling piped up, still new to the whole story of this strange family.

"No…you see, Sapling, Shade was an evil entity, maybe a fairy that got trapped inside the book of spells, and each time a new owner came to possess it, he would possess them," Wendy explained.

"_When Peter's father killed the last man who owned it, Shade overtook him and brought out the wickedness within,"_ Blue Falls added. _"We think Shade was a dark fairy, one of the last few that existed…so maybe there's another dark fairy lingering about."_

The conversation died there for the boys came running and flying back out, shoving and laughing as they headed for the big bed and took their seats. "Wendy, Wendy! Tell us the story!"

Giving a sweet smile, she said, "Very well," though the last thing she wanted to do was tell a story. Sitting on the bed and taking Mouse and Mikey to her side, she couldn't help noticing how Peter squeezed his way in so that he could sit just behind her. She could feel his breath tickling her neck and as she turned to face him, she was stunned by how close he was. He may have reverted back into a little boy but the feral longing he had for her when he was a teenager remained in his eyes, even though he could scarcely understand it.

Somehow, she managed to make it through, relieved once the boys were all in bed. As she kissed them all good-night and tucked them into bed, Violet nudged her arm with his elbow, her violet eyes darting to stare at someone. Following her gaze, she found herself watching Peter as he peeked into his room, stunned and perplexed.

"Peter, is something wrong?" she asked.

"No…but this is all mine?" he asked, blinking his large, innocent green eyes at her.

"Yes, it is," she nodded.

"Oh…very well then." Bowing to the girls, he said politely, "Good night," and stepped inside, shutting the bearskin curtain over the doorway.

Shaking her head, Wendy gave a wry smile. Looking to Violet, she sighed. "He hasn't changed…but I do hope we find a cure."

"If there is one," Violet frowned. "What if this is permanent? Isn't Peter supposed to be forgetful of everything? What if he always forgets who we are or why we're here?"

"I don't know…but I can't afford to think like that," she said firmly though her stomach was in a tizzy. "Somehow, we can undo this…I _have_ to believe in that."

At last, the girls said their good nights and went to bed, dozing off. Wendy didn't know how long she had been asleep but somewhere in the middle of the night she heard someone crying. Her brows furrowing, she got up and wrapped her blanket around her shoulders, stepping out of her quarters and into the main room. Looking about, she listened until she heard it again – a distinct, soft cry that came from Peter's room. Frightened for the boy, she ran to the room, seeing him toss about in his sleep, tears streaming down his face. "Peter!" she gasped, running to him.

At the sound of her voice, his eyes snapped open, his dagger at hand. "Who's there?!" he demanded.

She stopped, hurt by his comment. She knew that such a little thing shouldn't have bothered her, but it did. "…it's me…Wendy," she whispered, hugging her arms as she tightened the blanket around her.

His eyes searched for her in the darkness, finally seeing who was there. "Wendy?...oh…oh, Wendy." His voice quivered, and she realized that he was shaking, crying. "Wendy…I…I had this…horrible dream. I was fighting a monster…he said he was my father…and another monster came out…it said it wanted me gone for killing the first monster." He fell to his knees, weeping. "I was…I was _older_, Wendy…tall, stronger, different…I scared myself, Wendy…I don't want to get old, I want to be a little boy and to always have fun!...but somehow…I _liked_ being a little older…What's wrong with me?"

"Oh, Peter!" she cried, running to his side and hugging him to her heart. "It's true…you've changed…but it doesn't mean that you're worse when you're older…you can still be a child and grow…"

"Wendy…I don't understand…I feel…_funny_ when I'm with you…I want you to always stay and never leave…I-" He paused, not able to say the word. He didn't know or understand the word; he was just a child after all. But it poked him in the back of his mind, daring him to say and mean it.

"Shh…it's all right, Peter," she cooed, pressing her lips to his forehead. "I'm not going anywhere." She smiled as he curled up in her arms, nodding off and mumbling her name possessively over and over again. A tear escaped her cheek and splattered onto his nose. "…I love you, Peter Pan."

**NEVERLAND**

"WENDY!"

The ebony-haired female jerked up, rudely awakened from her sleep. "Huh? What?" she asked, her words slurred.

"There you are!" Jon exclaimed, running into Peter's room with Ruff and Violet. "Wendy, where's Peter?!"

"What do you mean?" she asked when she realized that she had been tucked snuggly into Peter's own bed and that he was nowhere to be found.

"He's left the Underground House," Violet explained.

"But where would he-?" Wendy began.

"I think I know," Ruff said grimly, looking to a pirate flag that was nailed to one of the walls in Peter's room.

Wendy's eyes widened in understanding, worry filling her. "But if he's gone to Hook's ship-!"

"That means he still thinks Hook is the enemy," Jon concluded, becoming rather pale.

"Hurry! Let's go before they end up killing each other!" Ruff ordered, leading them out. "I just hope we're not too late!"

**NEVERLAND**

Hook grumbled as he turned in his sleep, groggily opening his eyes as a ray of sunlight managed to squeeze its way between the curtains and stretch over the floor and upon his eyes. He yawned, sounding more like a lion roaring as he stretched in bed.

"Hmm…James…you're awake."

Two arms wrapped themselves around his bare chest, running over his abs and back up to his shoulders. He gave a throaty, rumbling chuckle, taking one of the slender hands and kissing it lavishly. "How could you tell?" He smirked as Christine nuzzled him from behind, nibbling his ear.

"Let's not get up just yet," she purred, causing his heartbeat to accelerate.

Turning over so that he faced his wife, he ran his fingers through her coppery hued hair as she grabbed his injured arm. He loved how she accepted him despite his handicap…perhaps his handicap was part of why she loved him.

"Come closer," he ordered, and she complied to his wish. As they pressed their bodies against one another, they closed their eyes and leaned in to kiss.

"_COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!"_

"Split me infinitives!" Hook yelped, nearly jumping out of his skin.

A sudden banging on the door made him snarl. "Cap'n!" he heard Smee screech.

"For God's sakes, can't a pirate spend a single day alone in his cabin with his wife?!" he snapped, throwing the covers off.

"Oh, James, he doesn't know any better," giggled Christine.

"Perhaps he does, perhaps he doesn't," he muttered, putting on a set of breeches hastily. With Christine's help, he slipped on his leather harness and snapped his iron claw in place, rewarding his beloved with a sensual kiss before a vein popped out of his forehead in irritation. "Stop that infernal banging, Smee, or I'll bang your skull into Long Tom and use it as a cannonball!" Hook shouted, hopping into a pair of boots before stomping out. "WHAT?!" he demanded, his eyes on fire as he faced Smee.

"Cap'n, it's Pan!" Smee stammered, pointing off at a swooping figure overhead.

"I _know_ it's Pan, you idjit!" he said, grounding his teeth. "He can wait five bloody minutes for me, can't h-?" He stopped, his eyes widening at the sight of the boy. He was smaller, younger, and grinning wickedly at him.

"Hello, Codfish!" he smirked. "Did I wake you?"

"Smee, who is this imposter?" he said, pointing at the boy with his hook in disbelief.

"It's…It's _Pan_, Cap'n…but he's shrunk!" Smee responded, gawking along with the rest of the crew.

"James, what on earth is-?" Christine stepped out into the light, tying her robe around her when she noticed Peter overhead. She stared at him in shock, stunned to see him in such a different form. "Peter?" she whispered with a gasp.

"Kidnapped some lady from the mainland, huh, Captain?" Peter asked, raising an impish eyebrow at the man.

"He doesn't seem to remember what's happened, Cap'n," Smee whispered.

Walking cautiously down the steps and onto the poop deck, Hook crossed his arms over his chest. "Tell me…are you really Peter Pan?"

"What's wrong with everybody? Of _course_ I'm Peter Pan!" he frowned, drawing his sword. "But if you don't believe me, I'll let my blade do the talking."

"Now that's more like it," Hook grinned, snapping his fingers and earning a blade at once. "Come and fight me boy!"

"Have at thee, sinister man!" Peter cried, lunging down at the man.

Hook took a step back, startled at how fierce this Peter was acting. What if he truly had reverted back into a child? Grunting, he blocked and thrust forth, the boy fighting back with a fierce vigor.

"Peter, stop!" a voice overhead cried.

Glancing up, the pirates saw Wendy, Ruff, Violet, Jon, and the fairies hastily flying to meet them. "Peter, listen to me! Hook is our ally!" Jon shouted.

"Allies? With Hook?!" Peter snarled. "In your dreams!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have said that," Violet grimaced, seeing how infuriated Peter had become.

"Boy, don't you remember?!" Hook asked, not realizing where he was walking to as he stepped back from Peter's attack. "We worked together in the real world – we stopped Shade! We were a team-"

"Stop! Stop it!" Peter demanded, squeezing his eyes shut as he violently waved his sword. "You're confusing me! STOP!" With a sudden lunge, he watched as Hook slipped off of the ship, lodging his hook into the wood as he dangled above the water.

"JAMES!" Christine screamed, snatching a sword and running to him.

"Cap'n! Hang on!" Smee stuttered, rushing to him alongside his mistress.

"Peter, help him! Please!" Wendy pleaded, flying to the boy.

Suddenly, there was a sharp, constant ticking in the air, a rumble rising from the depths of the water. Hook's eyes widened in horror as the Crocodile arose, her eyes on his face as she displayed her yellowed teeth. "Peter, remember!" he pleaded. "I don't know what's happened to you, but you must remember…think of the time I was nearly eaten by this beast on the pier, when that Mandy girl was possessed…surely you remember that?!"

Peter's eyes glazed over, the images of Hook's words flashing before his eyes. Shaking it off, he winced, the hurt of seeing himself older pinching at his heart. "No…I can't…"

The wood snapped and the pirate fell down.

"JAMES!" Christine screamed, ready to jump after him.

"Hold it!" Ruff said, grabbing her. "Look!"

The Crocodile snapped furiously, roaring at its floating breakfast.

Opening one eye, Hook looked up and gave a relieved sigh. "About time, Pan," he muttered, giving the Crocodile the evil eye.

Peter grimaced, struggling with the weight of the pirate as he tried to keep him airborne.

"_This should help!"_ Blue Falls exclaimed, sprinkling his fairy dust over them.

Arriving at his side, Wendy helped Peter tug him back on board, thankful that they had come in time.

"James! Thank God," Christine gasped, falling to her knees and embracing him.

"There, there," he murmured, stroking her hair. Frowning, he was ready to bark an insult at Peter when he saw the boy fall onto the deck. "Pan?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "What-?"

"I'm so lost," Peter whimpered, holding his head in his hands. "What's wrong with me? What are these memories? I can't grow up! I _can't_!"

The sky shook with thunder as rain began to pelt the ship, the waters churning in frantic confusion. The island itself quaked as Peter began to shake, frightened and torn between believing what he remembered and believing in what he couldn't remember.

"Peter," Wendy whispered, gently getting him to face her. "Peter, there are things you can remember because you're under a spell…but, whatever you choose, whatever you remember…just believe _in yourself_. Don't listen to anyone else, Peter, not even me…listen to yourself."

Gazing into her eyes, Peter felt his heart speed up once again with that funny feeling he vaguely remembered…a flashback came to him in which he was older and turned his head just so, resulting in Wendy's lips accidentally landing on his. He remembered how the sensation of it – the thimble – made him so very happy…Seeing Wendy move to place a kiss on his cheek, he deliberately turned his face and pressed his mouth to hers.

At once, the sky crackled with lightning, the zig-zagging line of light shooting from the sky and striking him. Wendy pulled away, screaming as Peter was engulfed in the shocking, blinding light, spinning faster and faster until he himself shot into the air. The grey clouds vanished at once, a gorgeous blue hue dazzling all who saw it.

Opening her eyes, Wendy dared to look up, blinking against the brightness when she heard a familiar laugh.

"_COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOOO!"_ came the triumphant call as the lithe figure dove down to the pirate ship.

"Peter's back!" Jon cried, his eyes lighting up as the Eternal Youth landed.

"I never left," Peter grinned. His red coat hung loosely over his frame, his hair grown out into a ponytail, his body that of a young man though his eyes sparkled with childlike wonder.

"Pete!" Ruff grinned, punching the boy's shoulder. "Man, you really gave us a scare, y'know?"

Violet laughed as she watched the fairies fawn over him. She could make out Tinker Bell saying, _"You silly ass!"_ as she kissed his nose. "Welcome back, Peter. No offense, but I kinda like you better as a teen."

"Get in line," Christine smiled.

Hook grinned. "Aye, I must agree…no offense."

"None taken…y'know, I like this better, too," Peter chuckled, turning to face Wendy. "Wendy! Wendy, my Wendy!" he laughed, picking her up and spinning her around. "You did it! You brought me back!"

"I think that was you," she blushed, though she accepted his kiss nevertheless.

"Wendy, I could see it!" he gushed, his face all aglow.

"See what?" she asked, blinking in awe from his enthusiastic kiss.

"The Northern Shores of Neverland!" Peter exclaimed. "Well, I could see some of it, anyways. I was so high up when I changed back that I could see some of the other side…it was dark and it shimmered like the lagoon at night. There were things and people running around and hiding. And caves! Lots of caves! I've gotta go there! It'll be a marvelous adventure! I can't believe I never thought of it before!"

"But…isn't that blocked by the mountains?" asked Violet, cocking her head to one side.

"Isn't it dangerous?" Jon added.

"Well, technically, no one's ever traveled there, and no one from there had traveled here," Ruff shrugged. "Still, that sounds like fun!"

"Save it for another day," Wendy said firmly. "I just got you back, Peter – I expect to have a little time with you before you go off."

"Oh, but you can come!" Peter insisted, spinning her around once more, pumped up after his transformation. "Please?"

"Maybe tomorrow," she said at last. "We can discuss this later – I'm sure Captain Hook wants us off right now."

"On the contrary, my dear, I'm fascinated," Hook grinned. "I just might join you…"

**NEVERLAND**

A tree snapped in half as the shadowy figure watched on furiously from the island.

"_Blast that infernal girl and wretched pirate! They ruined everything! He was supposed to let Hook die and be consumed by grief and guilt upon receiving his memory back immediately afterwards!"_ Wringing his hands, the dark creature glared at the pirate ship, seeing Peter Pan back to his usual self. _"So you've escaped me this time, Pan…but just you wait until I come up with a new spell for you…then you'll truly be sorry."_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The Quest to the Northern Shores of Neverland!

That was what Peter and Lost Boys started calling their new expedition. Of course, Peter insisted on bringing all the boys and that the girls must come along as well. Tinker Bell was determined to come along, resulting in Blue Falls volunteering. Only Flameburst and Sapling refrained from the adventure, wanting to stay home and have the place for themselves.

Hook would not budge and demanded he come along as compensation for what Peter's younger self tried to do to him the day before. Bringing along Smee and leaving Christine in charge (she decided she would stick this one in the ship while Hook insisted she was the only sane person aboard the vessel), he joined the children at the foot of the mountains that blocked the Northern Shores from the rest of the island. Both Neko and Nana bounded over to the men and began barking, licking Smee while they growled at Hook.

"I see your wretched pooches still despise me," the captain frowned, watching as Smee shooed the mongrels away.

"Aw, don't be ridiculous, they love you," Peter waved it off, ignoring how Neko glared and Nana nearly snapped. "Is everyone ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Violet shrugged, slinging her own knapsack over her shoulders.

"Pete, how're we gonna travel?" Ruff asked, motioning towards the pirates. "They can't fly."

"They can _sorta_ fly," Skipper piped up.

"Yeah, but with help," Ben reminded him.

"Then we'll just have to help them to the top until we can climb down the other side," Peter stated. "Ruff, Len – you're in charge of Mr. Smee."

"How kind of you, lads!" Smee smiled cheerily as the boys went to him and Blue Falls coated him with fairy dust.

"And just who do you have in mind to carry me across?" Hook asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can handle it fine on my own," Peter grinned, ordering Tinker Bell to shower him with her magic dust.

"If you drop me, boy, Christine will skin you alive," Hook muttered as Peter grabbed him by his wrists.

"And Wendy will gut you if you even think about clawing me," Peter snapped.

"Stop that! Really, you two are worse than Jon and Partly when it comes to dessert!" Wendy scolded them, taking Mouse and Mikey's hands.

Flying over the trees and hills, the expedition began, the Lost Boys tingling with excitement.

"YAY!" the Twins sang. _"Adventures galore! I wonder what's in store for us on the other shore! We're off and away for another day to the Neverland's Northern Shore!"_

"Seriously? Now isn't the time to stare serenading while we're flying to an unknown place covered in darkness!" Violet groaned, slapping her face as Partly, Skipper, and Lump joined in song.

"I couldn't agree more- SMEE! Stop singing along!" Hook snapped, shaking his head pitifully as his bosun began to join the boys' song.

"Boys, I'm glad you're excited, but please lower your voices," Wendy asked of them. "Violet's right. Peter said this part of the island was cover in darkness…" Looking to Peter, she asked, "Just why hasn't anyone ever crossed from one side to the other anyways?"

"Dunno," Peter admitted. "Never thought about it, I guess…maybe they don't have fairies over there?"

"_We keep clear of that side of the island,"_ Tinker Bell chimed. _"There's all sorts of myths that it's dangerous for anyone to cross over. I think it's silly but I never bothered to look…"_

"Either way, it sounds like fun," Peter grinned.

Soaring into the clouds, the view became foggy and unclear, causing the group to cluster together. Squinting, Peter pointed out a narrow passage through which they could pass in order to avoid going any higher. Already the children and pirates began to shiver from the coolness that surrounded them, and the canines whimpered as though they could sense something was not right.

"Stay close," Peter told them. "I'll lead the way."

With Hook hanging on, he flew through the passage with no trouble, making out shapes in the distance. "Come on!" he called to the others. "Let's go!"

The dogs passed next with the fairies, then Wendy and the little ones. Violet led the boys through, one by one, until Ruff and Len had to squeeze in with Mr. Smee.

"How much further?" Len huffed. Mr. Smee wasn't exactly the lightest person to carry, even with the help of fairy dust and another Lost Boy.

"I can see slopes," Peter told them. "Let's head down there and rest." Leading them down, Peter felt himself quiver with excitement as he began to see more clearly what was before him. Snowy slopes and hills were the first he saw as he landed with the pirate. The cold air bit at their skin, causing them to shiver. Peter reveled in the fact that he could see his breath before him, beaming at the discovery.

"I-It's f-fr-free-zing!" Partly gasped, his teeth chattering.

"Reminds me of Christmas back in London," Jon noted as Mikey blew out to see the gigantic cloud he created.

"Cool," Violet joked, earning giggles from the Twins.

"It is," Smee nodded, not understanding the jest.

"I can barely see what's out there," Len said, squinting. "Looks like more mountains…"

"Since when are mountains spiky?" Lump asked, rubbing his arms rapidly.

"Hey, ya never know," Ben shrugged, adjusting his glasses.

"So, what's the plan?" Ruff asked, wrapping his arm around Violet in an effort to keep her warm.

"The plan?" Peter caught Wendy in his arms, a surprised squeak escaping her. "We slide!" he laughed, jumping off the edge and slipping down the snowy white powder.

Mouse smiled at once, tugging Mr. Smee's hand. "Down!"

"Oh, very well, young man," Smee chuckled, amiably walking along with the child, not realizing until it was too late that he had stepped off the edge. "OOOH!" he yelped as Mouse squealed, "WHEEE!"

Nana and Neko watched, their tags wagging as they panted, excited. Without a second thought, they leapt off, howling as they followed the others.

"Let's go!" Violet grinned, tugging Ruff along. Together, they tumbled and slipped, laughing as they zipped down.

"Wait for us!" the boys exclaimed, running after them and jumping off.

Hook rolled his eyes. "If your friends jump off a bridge…" He stopped, seeing Skipper standing uncertainly by him as he peered after the others. "Aren't you going to jump?" he asked, intrigued.

"Um…I…I wanted to go with someone, too…but they'll think I'm chicken," Skipper confessed, tugging on his empty sleeve where his arm was forever missing.

Hook gazed at the child, sensing his unease and anxiety. "…then perhaps we ought to go down together." He couldn't help the warm filling he got when the child gave him a grateful look, taking his hand. He found it rather ironic that the two "handicapped" people ended up together like this but now was not the time for musing. Gripping the boy's hand, he and Skipper leapt off the side and slid together. He winced at the cold, his eyes widening as snow began to slip into his pants. "HAMMER AND TONGS!" he screeched as the cold filled him suddenly, causing the boy to laugh.

Coming towards the end of the hill, the group flipped and slipped, bumping into one another and giggling giddily.

"Whoa!" Jon grinned, blowing a bit of snow off of his nose. "That was fun!"

Wendy giggled as Peter shook his head, snow flying everywhere from its perch in his hair. "It was," she agreed, tucking her hair behind her ear as she looked about. Her brows began to furrow at the scene, however. "Peter…what on earth is all this?"

"Huh?" the Eternal Youth asked, blowing his hair out of his eyes. Raising his head, he stared at the landscape. Far off in the distance, an icy castle arose from the banks, sparkling somewhat sinisterly in the white light of this land. To the east was a set of fields and worn, small structures, patches of brown and grey spontaneously appearing in the whiteness. To the west were numerous blue trees, creating a turquoise forest that spanned for miles. Beyond all this was the sea, cold and black, while the mountains and snowy hills stood behind them, blocking this shore from the rest of Neverland.

"Wow," Peter breathed, amazed as he took it all in.

"_Oh!"_ Tink gasped.

"Split me infinitives," Hook muttered while Ruff gave a low whistle in agreement.

"Cap'n, it's a winter wonderland!" Smee exclaimed excitedly as he clapped. "Oh, I haven't seen snow in so long!"

"It's some sort of kingdom," Ben noticed as he gazed at the castle.

Looking to the sky, Skipper gawked at the heavy grey clouds coming over the land. "Um, shouldn't we get someplace warm? It looks like a storm's coming." He pointed to the sky to show them his point, getting the group to stare at the heavens.

"Skip's right," Peter nodded, helping Wendy up while he let Tinker Bell and Blue Falls hide in his tunic. "Let's check out that village down there. Maybe they can explain what this place is and help us get something warm to wear." Biting his lip from the cold air, he slipped Hook's coat off of his shoulders and wrapped it around Wendy.

"Peter-!" she started, stopping as he pulled her close and buttoned the front of her coat.

"You need it more than me," he whispered, winking at her as snowflakes kissed his face. He could hear snickers from behind, causing him to spin around and glare at the others who immediately ceased. "C'mon, we'll fly the rest of the way down," he ordered, grabbing Hook once more.

Shivering in the cold, the children and pirates flew over the snowy path, avoiding the sparse trees and work fields, catching sight of the gates of the village. Moving along at their own pace, Tinker Bell peeked out from Peter's shirt, frowning.

"What is it?" he asked, noticing how she wriggled to get out.

"_I can hear something…no, someone…someone's calling for help,"_ she explained, looking down at the fields.

"Hey, look there!" Len pointed.

Turning their heads, they searched over the fields, scouring for whatever or whoever Len saw. There, on the border of a brown field and white banks was a strange orange creature dressed in brown and black garbs, surrounded by white soldiers with icicles for spears. Looking down to Hook, Peter raised an eyebrow, an impish grin on his lips. "I know you're not much of the heroic type, Captain, however-"

"Well, the men aren't around to judge. Just don't expect me to make this a habit," Hook replied, smirking back at him. Bracing himself, he waited as Peter dove down at the men. Releasing his hold, Peter unleashed the pirate as he tackled one of the other soldiers. Hook slammed against one of the snowmen, clawing him as he hung on for dear life. He was stunned to see the being crumble the moment he used his hook as an anchor. "They're…just puppets made of snow!" he exclaimed.

"Down boys, and at 'em!" Peter shouted.

The Lost Boys shot down at the snow beings, laughing and giggling as they avoided the spears and fought back. Nana and Neko lunged at the monsters, biting and snarling. Wendy skidded onto the slush, sliding under one of the attackers before going to the trembling creature. She couldn't help staring as she gazed at the little orange creature. He had large bug eyes and fish lips, a single antenna dangling over his bulb-like head. He was no more than two feet tall, his gecko-like fingers wringing in fear.

"It's all right, we're friends," Wendy said soothingly, opening her arms to him.

His eyes watered and with a little cry he ran to her. Taking him in her arms, she ducked an attack from another being until Violet swiftly sliced him in two.

"Man, these things are fierce but oddly enough, easy to beat," she huffed, brushing her hair out of her face. "I'm almost expecting them to reassemble."

"Don't even joke," Ruff grunted, punching his foe in the face and watching him disintegrate.

"That's the last of them," Ben noted, flicking snow off of his shoulders. "What were they anyways?"

"The Snowmen," the orange alien gurgled, causing everyone to stop and stare.

"Yeah, we can see they're snowmen," Lump nodded, raising an eyebrow.

"No, that's what Lord Rorlock calls them, it's their title," the little being trembled as he spoke in his strange voice.

"What is this place, creature?" Hook demanded, earning a dirty look from Wendy. "What?" he scowled.

"He's just as much of a person as _you_, Captain," she snapped. Cradling the alien, she smiled, earning a smile back. "What's your name?"

"Blorg," he chirped.

The boys snickered at this, earning a smack on the back of their heads from Blue Falls.

"Blorg, what is this place?" Peter asked, stepping forward.

"Never-North!" he answered, staring at Peter. He squeaked in surprise, bowing his head. "Who you?"

"Peter Pan," Peter responded, bowing to the cretin. "And these are my-"

"You Peter Pan! You save us!" gasped Blorg, clapping his hands in delight.

"Wait, 'us'?" Ruff asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm supposed to save you?" Peter asked, perplexed.

"Come, come! Fast! Before Snowmen come back!" Blorg urged them, pointing to the village gates.

Looking at one another, the boys and pirates felt uncertain. "C'mon, what choice do we have?" Peter insisted. "Maybe they can give us warmer clothes."

"And soup," Lump added, rubbing his stomach anxiously.

Taking the lead with Wendy at his side, Peter carried Hook once more through the air and over the sludge and snow with the others close behind as so not to leave tracks. Glancing back behind him to the castle in the distance, he frowned. He could sense something wasn't right…but what?

* * *

**A/N:** I own nothing but the OCs and the wild plot(s). I hope you all are enjoying and please don't forget to let me know what you think :) See you all next time!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Thanks so much to **idontfixcomputers, CammieSarah51, and Guest Meredith **for your recent reviews! Thank you to everyone who's been reading and keeping up with the story, too. I own nothing except the OCs and plot. Please don't forget to let me know what you think and also, please no flames on the story or chapter. Hope you enjoy and I'll see you all next time!

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

There wasn't a single sound as they entered the village, save for the creaking of the gates themselves. Blorg hopped out of Wendy's arms and scurried into the streets. "Hurry hurry! Hurry hurry!" he said in a jumble, getting the group to run after him into the Town Square. Making their way inside, they were amazed to see how no one stood outside. The boys spun around, hearing window shutters swiftly lock into place, as if the inhabitants had been watching but did not wish to be seen.

"Blorg! What do you think you were doing?!"

Turning, they faced a tall blue being with fin-like ears, webbed fingers, and handsome human features. Upon seeing the strangers, he froze but remained regal looking. "Who are you?" he asked, raising a brow at them.

"Peter Pan! Friends, too!" Blorg squealed, hopping up and down excitedly as he pointed at the others.

The blue man gawked at them, his eyes setting on Peter at last. "…then it's true? Peter Pan is…no longer a child?"

"Not a child in body, maybe, but a child at heart," Wendy insisted, receiving a grateful smile from Peter.

Bowing to the blue creature, Peter said, "I'm Peter Pan, sir. These are my friends – Wendy, Violet, the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell and Blue Falls, our dogs Neko and Nana, and Captain Hook and Mr. Smee."

Hook couldn't help smirking as the blue man stared at him, startled that Peter had called him "friend." "And just who might you be?"

"I am Onlo, spokesperson for the Spacelings," he stated, pulling his cloak close to his neck as a wind blew by.

"Spacelings?" Ben asked, surprised. He gawked at the oddly shaped huts and wondered what he meant by the name.

"Please, come with me," Onlo pleaded, urging them to follow. "It's not safe outside."

They followed obediently, constantly looking around in curiosity. Each time the boys managed to catch sight of a face peeking at them through the windows, the curtains or shutters would close. The heavy sensation of dread and fear filled the air, and even the children began to feel it grow inside them.

"In here," Onlo said, ushering them into one of the larger huts. They crowded around, filling up most of the space inside. "Sit wherever you like," he nodded, shutting the door as the children, pirates, dogs, and fairies found a place to settle. Blorg sat on Mouse's lap as Onlo stood before them, blinking at his leader.

"Thanks," Peter nodded. "I don't suppose you have anything to help us keep warm?"

Onlo left for a moment, returning with a basket full of furs, skins, mud-colored clothing and worn boots. "It's best if you change into these," he urged them. "Your colorful clothes will attract attention and that's the last thing any of us need."

They did as they were told, separating into groups. Onlo took the liberty of setting up a curtain while the girls and boys changed. Once they were finished, he offered them their seats once more. "First off, Blorg, why in Neverland did you go out after hours?" he frowned, folding the strangers' clothing and setting it aside. "You know it is forbidden to even step out once it is curfew."

"Curfew?" Smee echoed, stunned.

"Hungry," Blorg whimpered. "Want more food."

"We're all hungry," Onlo sighed, patting the Spaceling's head. "But there is nothing that can be done."

"What's all this supposed to mean?" Peter frowned. "What were those things anyway?"

"You encountered Snowmen?" gaped the elder.

"Encountered? We _conquered_ those slush-piles!" the Eternal Youth grinned, causing the boys to cheer.

"Hush!" Onlo hissed, checking the door. "This is bad. Rorlock won't be happy."

"Who?" Jon asked, his brows furrowed.

"Perhaps I should start from the beginning," sighed the blue man. "We are called Spacelings, because we come from other planets that have long since died or were destroyed in one form or another."

"Space?!" the Twins gasped, fascinated.

"Planets?" Partly gaped.

"Yes," nodded Onlo. "We all come from planets throughout the universe – Neverland was a safe haven for us."

"Was?" Wendy asked.

"Many moons ago, when the tale of Peter Pan's disappearance reached us, there came a strange and terrible force in the person of Rorlock," Onlo said, starting the story of their past. The boys leaned in with interest, already engrossed in the tale. "He captured the unicorns and the Season Siblings and locked them away deep inside the castle he created. He banished the Time Keeper to the mountains for refusing to cooperate, and enslaved the Spacelings. He claims to be doing it all for the sake of the Snow Princess."

"The Snow Princess?" Ruff frowned. "There's no King or Queen or any ruler in Neverland – Peter is our Prince and there is no other."

"Then perhaps you would like to confront Rorlock," glared Onlo. "Explain that to him. Hopefully, the worst he'll do for your defiance is to change you into an ice statue for his gardens."

The boys gulped at this and shivered.

Peter frowned also as he listened to the news, his fists clenching. "The unicorns are vital to Neverland's magic, just as much as me or the fairies. And the Season Siblings…" He gnashed his teeth, furious.

"Peter…?" Wendy asked, startled by his fury.

"No wonder I haven't seen them so long," he muttered. When the others gave him odd looks, he explained, "You know how Neverland is spring, summer, fall, and winter all at once on different parts of the island? That's because the spirits of the seasons made their homes here in Neverland and constantly venture out into the real world."

"I thought it was because of the earth spinning on its axis," Ben asked, perplexed.

"_That's what grown-ups tell you so that you don't believe in magic,"_ Blue Falls rolled his eyes.

"Who, pray tell, are these siblings?" Hook inquired, intrigued.

"Primrose is Spring," Peter began. "Sunlight is Summer, Autumn Wind is Fall, and Jack Frost is Winter."

"Wait, Jack Frost?!" Lump yelped, causing the others to shush him. "Sorry. But wait, he's real?"

"Just as real as me," Peter nodded, a wistful smile on his lips. "I almost forgot about Jack…he always used to get me to come out during winter and watch the children in different parts of the world as he covered everything with snow and frost."

"They get their powers from the seasons?" Mikey asked, confused. "Or they are the seasons?"

"Y'know how I'm considered a magical being and I represent youth?" Peter asked. When Mikey nodded, he continued, "The same goes for the Siblings – they represent each season, but we all get these talents and powers from a higher, unknown power. We can't exist without it. Neverland can't exist without it."

"God?" Skipper asked, stunned.

"But all the bad fairies and magic-?" Jon started.

"There's always both good and bad of everything, Jon," Peter cut in. "What we chose to do with our powers causes us to be called good or bad. Look at everything around you – look at the Spacelings for crying out loud. God is the greatest form of magic and power that exists. What's to say He's not the source behind us all?"

"Since when have you become so philosophical, Pan?" Hook asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

Ignoring his comment, Peter looked to Onlo and asked, "But what about this Snow Princess? I've never heard of her."

"We know very little of her – she doesn't venture out of the castle." Onlo squeezed his way over to the nearest window, peeking out quickly before shutting it. "But Rorlock controls everything and claims everything for her. This is why we have little food, this is why we cannot step out after curfew. He controls us and sends the Snowmen to make sure of this. She does nothing to stop this injustice, so we care not for her."

"But what if she doesn't know about what's going on?" Violet asked, tapping her cheek in thought.

"Perhaps she does and perhaps she doesn't," shrugged the elder.

"Can't you just destroy those Snowmen and storm the castle?" Len suggested.

"The Snowmen have a special spell placed upon them that disables us to even leave a mark on them," responded Onlo, Blorg quivering in agreement. "And he has created ice dragons to protect the castle…but you were able to reduce the Snowmen to their original state," he noted. "Perhaps with your help, we can defeat Rorlock and his minions. It was said in the Timer Keeper's prophecy that you would come to us, Peter Pan."

"A prophecy about me?" Peter grinned impishly. "Sounds about right."

"We're never going to hear the end of this," Hook sighed, shaking his head.

"Who's the Time Keeper?" Skipper spoke up.

"A Fae woman who holds track and memories of all Neverland and its inhabitants," Onlo told the boy. "She was banished to the mountains for fighting against Rorlock and refusing to obey him."

"Then we've got a lot of work ahead of us," Peter said, looking to the boys. "Listen up, men. We're going to need some groups. Lump, Len, Ben, and Jon – you boys are going to the mountains to find the Timer Keeper and bring her to the village. Blue Falls, go with them. Partly, Twins, Mouse, Mikey, Mr. Smee – you stay here with Nana and Neko and keep an eye on the village until the others get back. The rest of you are coming with me to storm the castle. From there, we'll split up into pairs to rescue the unicorns and Siblings. Leave Rorlock to me."

"What makes you think I'll be taking orders from you?!" Hook fumed.

"C'mon, Cap'n," Peter grinned. "You'll be viewed as a hero here. You'll be revered and loved."

"Like a rattlesnake," Ruff muttered, rolling his eyes.

Hook heard the comment and glared. As he opened his mouth to retort his own message, the sound of heavy flapping, a roar piercing the air.

"More Snowmen, with dragons!" Onlo gasped, checking the window. "They must be here to investigate! If they see you-!"

"_Leave it to me,"_ Blue Falls chimed, sprinkling dust over the group, softly chanting a fairy song.

Onlo gaped at them while Blorg smiled, amazed. "Where are you?" he whispered.

"Here," Mikey said. "We haven't moved."

"Gone!" Blorg chirped, only to be hushed by Onlo.

"Falls made us invisible!" Violet grinned. "Nice."

"Hush," Onlo said, taking a deep breath as he stepped out to face the Snowmen.

"Everybody remembers what they have to do, right?" Peter whispered, and they all nodded in compliance. "Then get ready…"

**NEVERLAND**

"Where are the intruders?!" demanded the leader of the Snowmen, his icicle dragon glaring cynically at the blue-skinned man.

"Intruders?" Onlo asked innocently though he stood tall and firm.

"A group of outsiders have passed the border and have trespassed on our lands," growled the snow creature. "One of our dragons spotted them heading for your village. Speak, peasant! Say where they are and we may spare your village."

Onlo gave the Snowman a cold stare and replied coolly, "It's best you don't treat us like that, or Rorlock won't have any slaves to earn delicacies for his princess."

"Insolent fool!" the leader roared, raising his icy sword only to have his arm sliced off. He gasped in shock as the others watched. Even the dragons were stunned as a sudden barrage of slices and stabs filled their bodies, causing them to crumble and crack. The villagers of the Spaceling village cracked their windows open, stunned to see the invisible attack on their oppressors.

"YAY!" Blorg cheered from Onlo's home, clapping. "Friends!"

When at last the final dragon burst into snowflakes and hail, a ball of blue light appeared out of nowhere, sprinkling his dust over the air. The Spacelings gasped as figures materialized before them, dressed in their own garbs.

"You shouldn't have done that," Onlo said, looking to the sky. "There may have been other scouts-!"

"Then we'll have to work quickly," Peter said, pulling his white furry hood over his head. "Ok boys, you know what to." Casting a grin to Onlo, he gave him a thumb's up. "Don't worry. We can do this! Just have faith!" With Ruff's help, he grabbed Hook and flew to the skies with Wendy, Violet, and Tinker Bell close behind. Lump, Len, Ben, Jon, and Blue Falls went in the opposite direction, back towards the mountains.

Looking to Mr. Smee, Onlo asked, "What do you have in mind, then?"

"It's awfully chilly," Smee smiled mischievously at the boys. "How about we make a fire, lads? A nice, big, warm fire, just in case we have more guests coming…"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"It's a good thing we've got these cloaks," Lump shouted as they flew through the harsh mountain wind. "It's freezing!"

"Blue Falls, stay in here!" Jon said, pulling his coat close to his chest, his teeth chattering. The fairy shivered inside his pocket, only peeping his head out every so often to point the way out to the boys.

"_Th-There!"_ he pointed, his arm shaking as he found a hole in the mountainside. _"H-Hu-rry!"_

They did as they were told, eager to get of the howling wind and fierce sheets of snow that whirled around them. Skidding into the entrance, they gasped in relief, remaining still for a moment inside.

"Next time…Peter should be…the one to go…into the mountain," Ben huffed. The boys nodded in agreement, rubbing their arms in an effort to keep warm.

"C'mon," Len urged them, struggling to get onto his own feet. Helping his friends, he led the way inside.

They gaped at the walls, coated in shining ice and sparkling crystals. The air was noticeably warmer inside and they gave breaths of relief at this. Arriving at a set of stairs, they began to walk down until Lump slipped and tumbled on top of the others. Yelping and shouting, they slide out of the passage and into a vast room filled with loaded shelves and an icy chandelier above their heads.

"_You boys are the picture of grace,"_ joked Blue Falls, holding his head in his hands as to steady himself. Looking about, he shouted, _"Hello?! Is anyone home?"_

"No need to shout. I'm right here."

Spinning around, the Lost Boys found themselves looking at a lush velvet chair with a dainty woman in it, reading a book. "I've been expecting you," she said, shutting the book and setting it aside on a coffee table of maple wood. A steaming teapot of hot chocolate and a set of lovely clay mugs occupied the table's surface, as well as a plate of toasty cookies that called to the children. "Come in," she waved to them, standing up. She was a lovely lady with elfin features and long earthy-toned hair that swirled around her as she adjusted her mint green robe around her slender frame.

Having been taught by Peter the basic fairy manners, they stood and greeted her with a bow. Smiling, she curtsied back, pleased. "Do sit down. I'm sure you're still cold from your journey here."

They gratefully accepted her invitation, sitting on cushions that surrounded the table. Blue Falls flew to the plate of cookies and began to munch on one. As she poured them a cup of the steaming beverage, they couldn't help themselves as they gawked at the shelves filled with books and glowing orbs. A faint ticking sound filled their ears as they noticed a large clock made of fairy dust occupying the ceiling, with the chandelier dangling at its center.

"You were expecting us?" asked Jon, thanking her as she gave out the mugs.

"Of course," she smiled knowingly. "I'm the Time Keeper, after all."

"Please Miss," Len started. "You have to come back with us to the Spaceling village. We need your help!"

"I highly doubt that," she shook her head, taking her seat once more. "You boys can handle just about anything so long as you stick together."

"But Peter told us to come and get you!" Lump protested.

"With you standing beside the Spacelings, I think they'll feel empowered," Ben explained.

The Time Keeper smiled at them once again, getting up and floating to a shelf. They watched with interest as she did so, searching meticulously until she finally found the glowing orb she was looking for. Going back, she released the orb into the air.

"I'll go with you, boys," she reassured them. "But there is something you must know so that we can explain to the Spacelings that Rorlock is the only one to blame for all these terrible events – the Snow Princess is as innocent as a lamb."

"Why's that?" asked Jon, adjusting his glasses as the orb became brighter.

"Watch and see," she replied, waiting for the mist to clear as the events of the past unfolded before them…

**NEVERLAND**

"He wasn't kidding about the ice dragons!" Violet gasped as they flew away from another one. The creature roared and snapped, opening its mouth to release frost and spikes at the attackers.

Landing in the courtyard with Hook, Peter and Ruff drew their swords and shot into the air once again as Hook sliced the Snowmen that came forth to confront him.

"Hmph! This is but mere child's play," he smirked, cutting one down after another.

In the air, Peter, Ruff, Wendy, and Violet swerved away from the dragons, cutting off a wing, tail, or limb whenever possible. Tinker Bell would blind them with her fairy dust long enough for the boys to cut off their heads before moving to another one. As she darted through the air, the fairy noticed movement by the frozen fountain of the palace, gasping as she saw a figure in a royal blue cloak emerge into the scene.

"Peter!" she cried, pointing at the man below. "Look out!"

Glancing down, Peter saw a man of about twenty years of age, his face oddly tan for someone who lived in such a snowy, ice-filled region. Pointing at the group, he smirked as a blast of magic materialized into a shard of black ice.

"Look out!" Peter cried, alerting the others just in time as the weapon whizzed by their heads. Casting his eyes below, he shouted, "Ruff! Vi! Get the captain out of here!"

Nodding, the two teens swooped down, avoiding yet another dragon as they snatched Hook and took off towards the surrounding evergreen trees.

"Blast it all! I nearly had the blighter!" Hook snarled, angry his battle with a rather heavyset Snowman had been interrupted.

"There's time for that later," Ruff said, urging them through the snow. "Right now we got bigger problems!"

As Wendy struggled to get away, with Tinker Bell on her shoulder, she was caught in a powerful gust of wind. "Hold on, Tink!" she gasped as she began to sway.

The hooded figure smirked, curling his fingers just so. The wind reacted at once, buffeting Wendy so that she was forced closer to the ground. Opening his palm, he aimed at her, a blast of blue ice shooting forth.

She gasped, petrified.

"_Fly, you silly girl! FLY!"_ Tinker Bell screeched, pulling the girl's hair.

"I can't!" Wendy cried, screaming as the icicle barely missed her, causing her to spin and fall. Plummeting to the earth, her eyes widened in fear, shutting quickly as so to block out the view of the courtyard as she fell to greet it.

Shooting through the air, Peter grit his teeth, twisting his body at the last possible moment against the wind. With his arms extended, he caught Wendy and flew back into the sky, holding her to his chest. "Tink, are you ok?" he asked, heaving a breath of relief.

"_Silly ass,"_ she chimed dizzily.

"Wendy, are you alright?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed in worry as he gazed at her.

Shaking her stupor off, she blinked her eyes opened and smiled at him, her arms around her neck as she kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Peter. You must get tired of doing that."

"Not really," he grinned.

"_LOOK OUT!"_ Tinker Bell screamed as their foe blasted more projectiles at them.

Peter easily dodged the ice spears and glared. "Quick, Tink, get Wendy back to Ruff and the others. I'll distract him. You know what to do."

"But Peter-!" Wendy began as he let go of her.

"Just go on without me, I'll catch up," he promised with a wink. Grinning mischievously, he dove down once more, slashing at the ice dragons and Snowmen. "Come and get me!" he taunted them, making a face at the hooded man.

Frowning, the man continued to send blasts of magic at the flying boy. Tink tugged at Wendy's hair again, urging her to move. Reluctantly, Wendy did so, heading into the evergreen.

Peter laughed merrily as he led a dragon on a chase through the icy air. Catching sight of one of the towers in the castle, he smirked and led the monster towards it. Shooting up suddenly, the dragon was too late to stop and collided with the castle.

A scream filled the air, startling both Peter and the hooded magician. As the building began to shake, the tower quaking as it collapsed, a small figure tumbled off of the tower's balcony, screaming and pleading for help. The hooded man paled at once, running towards the falling ruins. "Crystal!" he shouted, his heart in his mouth.

As Peter flew up, a small figure fell down. In an instant as quick as a blink, Peter saw a pair of frightened blue eyes, large and innocent, the tiny body of a little girl flung down from her perch.

"Hold on!" he shouted, flying after her. Dodging and weaving through the debris, he bit his lip in determination and reached out once again. He was stunned by the sight of a little girl, no more than four, perhaps five years old. Her long hair curled towards the ends, as white as a fresh fallen snow. Her skin was as smooth and pale as porcelain, her lips tinted a soft baby blue hue. She wore a snowflake barrette in her hair and a flowing silver and royal blue gown. Tears streamed down her face in fear as she reached for Peter.

"Help me!" she begged.

Peter willingly obliged, stretching out his fingers. Jerking his arm forward with some effort, he grasped her tiny, cool hand in his warm, calloused one. With a swift tug, he pulled her into his arms, biting his tongue as he struggled to get out of the debris and ice shards from the dragon. "Hang on tight!" he told her, swaying, twisting, swerving, and finally diving, shooting off to the side. As he began to smile, he felt a shadow fall over them. Nearing the courtyard, he turned his head. His eyes widened as he saw a chunk of the tower wall headed straight for them.

"JUMP!" he shouted, throwing the little girl to the hooded man as he flew as fast as he could out of the walls' perimeter.

Flying through the air, the girl gasped as she flipped and landed securely in the man's arms.

"Crystal!" the man cried, catching her and leaping away. "Are you alright, Princess?" he gasped, raising his cloak to protect her from the coming crash.

"The boy!" she cried, pointing at Peter.

The wall came with a pounding, fast force, shaking everything. Rocks, bricks, and ice were sprayed out upon impact as Peter flew close to the ground, heading towards the entrance of the courtyard. His brows furrowed, his full attention was on escaping when a thick chunk of stone hit the back of his head. Tumbling face forward, Peter collapsed onto the ground, slipping down the courtyard steps until he came to a harsh stop.

When the debris had settled, the hooded man stood up and surveyed the damage. With the child in his arms, he caught sight of the unconscious flying boy on the courtyard steps. He glared at the body of the young man. He was one of the intruders that had disrupted the Spacelings' village life, destroyed countless dragons and Snowmen, demolished a portion of the castle, and endangered the princess's life.

Snapping his fingers, three Snowmen were reconstructed from the slush around them. "I don't know who this trespasser thinks he is, but he's got to go." He looked ridiculous in the Spacelings' rags – brown leaf tunic, faded black slacks with roughly made rabbit-skin boots, and a white fur cloak, the hood still hanging over his head. His brown hair fell mussed over his face, his face twisted somewhere between pain and uncertainty. Sniffing carelessly, he spun around and started to walk away. "Dispose of him."

The little girl gave him such a look that he stopped in his tracks, sick to his stomach.

"NO!" she cried and wriggled out of his arms until she hopped down to the ground. Running past the Snowmen, she kneeled beside the boy, throwing her arms around his neck. "Don't hurt him! He saved me!" She stared up at the snow creatures and back at the wizard, adamant in her choice. "Help him, Rorlock. He's hurt."

"He nearly got you killed in the first place," he snapped, stubbornly refusing.

"Rorlock!" wept Snow Princess Crystal. "Please!"

Growling, he kicked a nearby rock and spat, "Fine! You-" He pointed to one of the Snowmen. "Carry the little hoodlum inside. Now."

The creation obeyed at once, the other two going off to clean up the damage. The princess walked alongside the wizard, looking up to him. "I want you to leave him alone," she said firmly. "I want to talk him first."

"Very well, Princess," he said grudgingly. "But don't believe anything he tells you. He's an outsider, and they're all dangerous. He could be plotting against you."

"I don't think so," she said with a little smile. "There's something about him…but I'll be careful. I promise."

**NEVERLAND**

"They're taking him inside," Ruff whispered as they watched from the back wall of the castle. "That little girl stopped them from getting rid of him, but who knows what they'll do now?"

"Oh, Peter!" Wendy whispered, Tinker Bell mimicking her, both of them filled with worry.

"Nothing we can do now," Violet shook her head. "We've gotta stick to the plan."

"Miss Shields is correct," Hook nodded, pulling his cloak closer to his neck as another wind picked up. "It's what Pan would want." Going to the door, he picked the lock with the tip of his hook nodding satisfactorily as it clicked, swinging open before them. "Come. We must find the unicorns and Siblings."

* * *

**A/N:** I own nothing except the OCs and plot(s), and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you thought and I'll see you all next time! :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"I see people coming – flying this way," one of the Spacelings pointed to the sky. "Are they yours?"

Looking through the telescope, Smee nodded, smiling. "Aye. 'Tis the boys, and it looks like they're brought back the Time Keeper."

At the mention of the name, the village was abuzz with shock and excitement. The Time Keeper had left her solitude to join them! Flying down to the crowd below, the Lost Boys regrouped with the younger members of their, both Nana and Neko barking happily and licking them in welcome.

Blue Falls pointed at Mr. Smee, chiming a few words to the Time Keeper before sitting on her shoulder as she floated to the pirate and Onlo.

"Time Keeper," Onlo bowed respectfully. "We are indebted to you."

"How d'ya do, Missy?" Smee smiled cheerfully, oblivious to the respect Onlo was displaying. "I'm Mr. Smee."

"Yes, the boys told me about you," she smiled politely. Catching sight of the bonfire and the armed Spacelings, she raised an eyebrow at the man, interested. "I see you're prepared for anymore attacked from Rorlock."

"Aye, we figured if they're just made of ice and snow, we can attack with fire," Smee nodded. "'Course, we'll have to be the ones to shoot, seeing as the Spacelings have been forbidden by some spell."

"I can remedy that," she promised, causing Onlo to give a breath of relief. "If we move out together, we may be able to make it to the castle by sundown."

"Good," Onlo nodded, calling the people together. "Tonight, we end this tyranny!" he shouted, earning a cheer from the people.

"Wait!" Jon cried, getting their attention. "Before we do anything, we mustn't harm the Princess."

"Why not?!" snapped one of the Spaceling women, holding her child to her chest. "She's done nothing to stop this injustice!"

The people shouted and grumbled their agreement, but the Timer Keeper help up her hands in a motion for them to be silent.

"Please, hear us out," Jon pleaded. "We'll explain what's been going on…"

**NEVERLAND**

"Blast this infernal darkness!" hissed Hook as he stumbled through the corridors, trying to keep up with Wendy and the others, Tinker Bell darting further ahead in anxiety to try and find Peter.

"Shut up, dude!" Ruff snapped, sending a glare at the man. "Ya want the whole castle to find us?"

"I'm this close, brat, to clawing to into-!" Hook started, only to crash into Ruff as Wendy and Violet stopped in their tracks, stunned by what they saw.

"Shh! Look," Wendy whispered as Tink landed upon her shoulder.

Coming up to an iron-bar gate-door, the group peered into the darkness and gaped below. Several depths past a winding set of stone stairs, there were numerous bodies crowded into a dark, cramped space. Pale, dusty humans tugged chains that kept them bound while others remained huddled in corners. All their hair had been sheared from their heads and faces, exposing the same diamond marks upon their foreheads. Men, women, and children alike were crammed into this room, all awkward on their two feet. Dressed in soiled rags, their large sad eyes were downcast. All together, there were about twenty of the wretched creatures.

Some protested as the Snowmen came forth with their daily portion, grunting and pawing at the creations before they were whipped. Their guards snapped at them, sneering as they dropped buckets of daily slop before them and stormed out, slamming the heavy door before locking it. At once, the people gathered around the containers, timidly dipping their heads down, sniffing the food before grudgingly slurping and licking it up.

"The poor things!" Wendy whispered, her heart torn in two.

"Lord knows how long they've been kept here," Hook frowned. "They're being treated like animals!"

Violet's eyes grew wide at the pirate's words, a gasp escaping her. "That's _it_!"

"What is?" Ruff asked, perplexed.

"Don't you see? They're acting like animals, they're treated like animals – they _are_ animals!" Pointing to them, she whispered, "They've been transformed into humans – they're the unicorns! See how they've all got the same mark on their faces?!"

"By Jove!" Hook stared, stunned.

"Holy-!" Ruff blinked. "Ok, we found the unicorns – how're we gonna get them outta here?"

Tapping her cheek, Wendy looked to Tinker Bell, then cast her eyes to the iron door before them. "Can you unlock it?" she asked.

Tink sniffed at her, as if she were insulted, before alighting atop the bars and getting to work, biting her lip as she twisted her arm every so often until there was a rusty snap. Grinning, she motioned for Wendy to open the door. The ebony-haired girl did so, stopping as the door noisily creaked. This made the people below stop, their heads swiveling up to see what was going on.

"Sorry," Wendy whispered to her friends. "It could use some grease."

Tinker Bell sighed, sprinkling her fairy dust over the hinges before motioning for Wendy to try again. Smiling at the fairy, Wendy stepped through the doorway and into the dark prison. At once, the unicorn people were skittish, uttering sounds that she imaged would have been knickers if they were in their original state.

"Shh," she shushed them gently, her palms facing them as to show she would not harm them. "It's all right…we're friends." Coming down the steps with the others close behind, she came to the opening, seeing their frightened, suspicious faces. "It's all right…"

One young woman blinked at her, cautiously stepping forward. Quivering, she moved closer until she stood before Wendy, then pressed her forehead to the girl's palm.

"It appears you're absolutely correct, Miss Shields," Hook muttered, a curious smile on his lips as he watched. "They are indeed unicorns."

Wendy smiled, softly running her fingers through the female's hair. The girl smiled back, her emerald eyes shining.

Ruff and Violet followed Wendy's lead, touching two others that came forth to them. Hook remained aloft, knowing that his metal appendage may frighten the horse-like humans. One of the more daring males, however, saw the shining hook, and striding forth like a proud stallion would, stood before the pirate, waiting for his greeting. Stunned, Hook cautiously raised his hook, taking the liberty of scratching the young man behind the ear. A cocky grin appeared on the man's face, reminding the pirate of his nemesis-turned-ally, and he had to grin back.

"_I can sense their thoughts and emotions," _Tink chimed to Ruff. _"They said that the wizard Rorlock cast this spell on them. So long as they're inside the castle, they're trapped in this state."_

"Then maybe it's time for a stroll outside," Ruff smirked. "Tink, tell them to follow us. We're leading them out of here now."

**NEVERLAND**

His eyelids fluttered open almost reluctantly, a moan escaping his lips as he awoke from his dreamless rest. His brows furrowed as he winced, his hand moving up to the back of his head.

"Ow…" Growling, he forced himself to sit up, blinking his eyes open as his vision came back to him.

He was in a sparkling white room filled with ice mobiles that dangled overhead, little dolls cluttering shelves with books, pictures posted on any open space. A large bay window looked out to the sea as the sun got ready to set, a figure standing directly before him.

Peter's eyes widened and narrowed faster than he could think. "You!" he snarled, flying off of the bed, arms outstretched and ready to tackle.

Rorlock sneered, his hands already glowing with magic.

"NO!" a little voice cried, causing the two to pause in their tracks.

The little girl ran out between them, her arms extended as if she meant to keep them away. "Don't fight!" she pleaded, her large blue eyes irresistible.

Rorlock stood down, still casting a glare in Peter's direction. Peter stuck his tongue out at the man, earning a giggle from the little girl.

"How do you do that?!" she asked, her face lighting up upon seeing him float in the air.

"I've always been able to do this," Peter responded, smiling as he landed before her. Remembering his manners, he bowed to her, to which she blushed and curtsied in return. "What's your name?" he asked, getting down on one knee as so to be at the same eyelevel with the child.

"I'm Crystal," she beamed. "But Rorlock says I'm the Snow Princess."

At the mention of the wizard's name, Peter's eyes darted to him, seeing the figure give him a cruel, vicious look. _"So this is the man causing all the problems…"_ "Friendly fellow," Peter remarked.

"He's just worried that you'll hurt me," Crystal shrugged innocently. "But you won't. You saved me earlier."

Peter smiled at her cheerfulness, admiring the childish trust she placed in him just because she wanted to.

"But you never told me _your_ name," she said with a giggle.

"I'm P-" He paused, remembering that Onlo had said a prophecy about him had been mentioned. If he told them his name, all might be lost. No doubt Rorlock was already suspicious. A name from his past drifted into his mind, one of a child he never got to know… "Paul. My name's Paul," he said with a gentle smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Paul." Crystal flashed him an innocent, adoring smile. Offering him her hand, she said, "Come with me! I want to show you the Ice room."

"Princess, it's best to keep him locked away," interceded Rorlock, flexing his fingers at the boy.

"Oh, no, Rorlock, please!" Princess Crystal pouted. "I don't ever get visitors, and I never get to play with anyone! Your Snowmen are boring, and not to be rude, but you're not very good at games. I want to play with Paul!"

"Yes, Rorlock, let me play with the Princess," Peter smirked, taking her tiny hand in his. "I'm very good at games…some say I'm the best."

Glaring daggers into Peter's back, the irked wizard tagged along close behind, his hands clenched into fists. Stomping after them, he listened to each word of their discussion down the hall and into the Ice room.

"What do you think of the kingdom?" asked Crystal as she skipped alongside Peter.

"Well…it's very cold," Peter replied, knowing that Rorlock was listening in.

"Of course it is, silly," she laughed. "There's no spring and summer here. They don't come to this kingdom."

"_I wonder why,"_ Peter thought, wanting to cast a look at the wizard.

"Here we are!" Crystal gushed, ushering them into a new room. "What do you think?"

Peter gazed at the vast ballroom, the floor made completely of sparkling ice, four colorful pillars holding up the ceiling of the room as half of the walls were mainly composed of more windows overlooking the seaside and mountains. "Whoa…" Peter couldn't help noticing how the four main pillars in the room were all different colors, each with their own vines encircling them. Squinting at these unique staffs, his eyes widened as he realized each one represented each season. _"He's trapped each sibling into a pillar with some sort of spell…he's hid them in plain sight! Clever…but I'll have to find a way to break them free…"_ "So, what exactly is the room for?" Peter asked coolly, floating an inch off of the ice.

"Watch," Crystal commanded, slipping on a pair of skates. Sliding gracefully over the surface of the frozen water, she hopped and darted, scraping the surface. From the air, Peter could see she had made a simple, smiling face. As he was about to comment, his eyes widened once again as the face glimmered, sparkling as it lifted off of the ice and into the air, grinning and winking at Crystal before vanishing into a cloud of icy dust.

"It comes to life?!" Peter gasped, fascinated.

"Uh-huh!" Crystal nodded. "Put on a pair of skates, Paul! Draw me something that happens where you come from."

All thoughts of saving the land and finding his friends flew out the window, so to speak, as Peter eagerly slipped on a pair of skates and flew onto the ice, sketching an image that instantly came to mind. As he twirled away to work on another item, Crystal gaped in awe at the sight of an impish fairy flying into the air, showering her with her magical dust. Suddenly, up sprang a mermaid, giggling as she splashed Crystal with dusty water. As Crystal brushed the "water" off of her, smiling in amazement, she gasped as a humongous pirate ship came into the room from the ice, a pirate with a hook for a right hand stepping forward.

Snapping an icicle off of the ceiling, Peter grinned. "En guarde, Codfish!" Darting forward, he fought the ice figure, causing the girl to giggle and clap in delight.

"Go, Paul, go!" she cried, failing to notice how the sun slowly sunk to join the sea.

Rorlock, however, did notice, and he paled at once. "Quickly, Princess! We must get you back into your room!"

"But Rorlock!" Crystal protested as the ship collapsed and the pirate disintegrated. "We're having so much fun-!" She stopped, catching sight of the setting sun at last. Her eyes widened in fear as she realized too late what he was trying to warn her about. "Oh no!" she cried. Tears spilling from her face, she cowered from the flying boy. "Don't look at me, Paul! Don't look at me!"

"What're you talking about? What's wrong?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Landing on the ice, he was stunned as the room suddenly burst into flames. He leapt back, stepping into a thick pit of fire. As he gasped and flew up, expecting his legs to be covered in fire, his brows furrowed. Reaching down, he touched his boots, amazed when the flames disappeared. "What…?" Looking up, his eyes became huge as he watched in horror as Crystal was engulfed in flames, her skin charred into black nothingness, her hair burnt off. "Crystal-?" he asked, his voice but a whisper.

"It happens every night," she wept, covering her face. "I don't know why! But I'm ugly now! I'm a monster! I'm a bad girl! And now you'll hate me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Fury filled him as he heard the child's pleas. Dashing though the air, past the flames and smoke, he landed beside her, wrapping his arms around her.

"P-Paul?!" she hiccupped, scared stiff.

"Crystal, I don't what happened or why you think that way, but know this-" He pulled back and looked her in the eye. "You're a beautiful and good girl. And no amount of burns is going to change what you are – a princess."

Fresh tears came to her eyes as she embraced him, weeping with joy at his acceptance. She cried even harder as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Look, Rorlock! I knew he was good! I knew it!" she shouted, her skin suddenly clearing up.

As Crystal and Peter looked to find Rorlock, Peter's brows furrowed as he saw the man stuck frozen in fear, guilt shining in his eyes. There, in one of his hands, Peter could see a match, its tiny spark sputtering as the sun disappeared, and with it went all the flames around them.

* * *

**A/N:** I own nothing except the OCs and plots. Thank you to **Guest James Birdsong **and** fischgrl** (God bless you, your husband, and your family - thank you for taking the time to drop by and check out what's been going on, I really do appreciate it :)) Hope you all enjoyed and please don't forget to let me know what you think. See you all next time!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

At once, Peter knew something was wrong. Both Rorlock and Crystal were linked, but they weren't originally from Neverland…somehow, they must've made their way from the real world and came here. Rorlock was keeping Crystal hidden away and at the same time making sure she knew nothing of what was happening outside.

And then, there was the match in his hand that vanished once the sun was gone. Crystal had been covered in flames while a dark shadow crossed over his own. This did not escape Crystal's notice either.

"Rorlock…what is that?" she whispered, clinging to Peter in fright.

"What did you do?" Peter asked in a low, threatening tone, his eyes narrowing at the man.

He trembled before them, as though some terrible fate awaited him if he dared to say a thing. Suddenly, a Snowman burst through the doors, quaking as he paused before them.

"The unicorns have been freed!" he gasped, his voice a rumbling sound that could barely be understood.

Rorlock paled at this, his head snapping around to face the creation. "_What_?!" he snapped.

"And the Time Keeper has come out to join the Spacelings in a revolt!" added the snowy figure.

He was dumbstruck at the news, unable to believe what he heard. Turning his head, he glared at Peter, seeing him hold the princess as he began to float off the ice. "You're not Paul…you're Peter Pan!"

Crystal gasped, looking up to the boy. "Peter Pan?" she echoed in awe.

Peter withdrew his sword from its sheath, smirking at the man. "That's my name, Rorlock…now release the Season Siblings from your spell!"

"_Never_!" he snarled as shouts and cheers filled the halls of the castle.

"There's nowhere to go," Peter informed him. "Surrender your power and release these people of your tyranny!"

"You've been hurting people?" Crystal asked, shocked at the man.

"I did it all for you!" he cried, holding his head in his hands in despair. "Every time it's the same story – it's never good enough for you! I was never good enough! That's why I killed you-!" He stopped, his eyes widening in horror as he realized what he had confessed.

Crystal's eyes filled with tears once more as she heard this. "What-?" she whispered.

"Now I understand," Peter frowned. "You two are ghosts…spirits that came to Neverland instead of going to Heaven."

"Correct, Peter Pan."

A blinding light filled the room, startling the three humans and melting the Snowman that had come to warn them. There in the center stood the Time Keeper as Hook and Wendy led the others through the two sets of doors into the room. Surrounded, Rorlock stood poised, ready to fight, but the Time Keeper would have none of that. With a snap of her fingers, the Spacelings stood forth with blazing torches as Blue Falls sprinkled fairy dust over him, creating a sparkling net.

"Release me!" he demanded, forced to curl up into his prison.

Ignoring him, the Time Keeper pulled out a glowing crystal orb from her satchel and threw it into the air, watching it burst as pictures came to life before the crowd. "Some time ago in the real world, there was a young man named Rory."

"Stop!" shouted Rorlock, his eyes huge with madness, anger, and fear as his face appeared in the glowing light of the broken crystal.

"He was proud, vain, and selfish, and lived contentedly with his father…until he remarried and had another child. Rory soon grew jealous of his little stepsister, Crystal, and was furious that their attention was all on her."

"Shut up, you old hag!" he yelled, wriggling desperately in his bonds.

Crystal watched with awe as familiarity filled her face. "…I remember…Mommy and Daddy…"

"The doting parents loved their little girl very much," the Time Keeper reassured them, continuing her narration of the life-like recreation of events. "But they were oblivious to the growing hatred that filled their son. One snowy night, they left for a night on the town, entrusting their daughter's well-being to Rory…but it was the night he finally snapped. Striking a match, he locked the child in her room as he set the house on fire, shouting as he left that she was nothing but a nuisance."

Peter gnashed his little pearls at the confined wizard, holding Crystal close to his heart. "You're the real monster," he hissed.

"No sooner had Rory left the house, he realized what he had done, but it was too late to save the child. Nevertheless, he could not live with the guilt and ran back, allowing the flames to engulf him. It was then that their spirits left them and headed for the sky…but instead of going to their respective afterlives, someone came and directed them to a distant star…"

Peter squinted as a dark, hooded figure lured the two phantoms off into the night, heading for the second star to the right and straight on until morning. Something about it seemed so very familiar…

"Left on the abandoned Northern Shore during the absence of the inhabitants, the little girl's memory was wiped clean, while Rory was tormented with the vividness of his wrong doings. The same dark shade that brought them to Neverland gave him power to rule as he pleased, vanishing and leaving him in charge. Capturing the unicorns and enslaving the Spaceling people, he began a reign of cruelty that suited him best, shielding the little princess away from what he was doing 'for her sake.' Upon the arrival of the Season Siblings, he trapped them in the four pillars you see before you, harnessing their powers as so the continuation of spring, summer, fall, and winter could take place without raising suspicion. And finally, he thought that keeping the Time Keeper hidden away in the mountains would ensure his rule forever…but he did not expect for one boy to return home and fight back."

The image of Peter flying through the mountain with his friends showed, and the Lost Boys couldn't help pointing as their own faces appeared before them. "With the return of Pan, the people were rallied and the unicorns rescued, and the princess soon learned the truth…" Looking to Crystal and Peter, she nodded respectfully. "It is up to you two to create a bridge between the Northern Shores and the rest of Neverland, so that we may not be isolated anymore."

"NOOOO!" screamed Rorlock, bursting free of his prison. "I won't let you, dammit!" he snapped, blasting magic at the people around him. They all leapt away, frightened and unprepared.

"Stop it, Rory!" Crystal cried.

"No! I'm tired of having to listen to your whining and wishing!" hissed Rorlock, pointing accusing at the child. "Enough is enough!"

"I couldn't agree more!" Peter frowned, setting Crystal down and flying at full-force to confront the wizard.

Conjuring his own icy sword, he thwarted Peter's attempts to run him through, engaging in combat with the boy. "I should've skewered you the moment I saw you!" he sneered.

"Who was that dark person that led you here?!" Peter demanded. The creature looked too much like Shade…with the only differences being that he wore a smoking, hooded cape, and his eyes were a glaring, piercing red, not white.

"None of your business!" smirked the wizard, ready to lunge when he made the fatal mistake of taking a step back to balance himself for the next move. Stepping into his cape, he tripped, his ankle twisting underneath him from the sudden movement and the slippery ice beneath them. Peter's blade cut the air, piercing his side as he fell back and hit the floor. Gasping in pain and disbelief, he watched as a silver key slipped from his coat pocket, twirling gracefully upon the ice until it stopped before Crystal. The child grabbed the item, pressing it to her chest as she watched with hurt-filled eyes.

Pinned to the floor and injured, with Peter standing over him, his sword poised to strike, he panted for breath, startled as Peter slightly lowered his blade. "Kill me already," he coughed.

"Bad form," Peter shook his head. He didn't catch Hook giving a small smile at this as he offered Rorlock his hand. "If you want to die honorably, stand up and fight until the very end…or, tell me who's been supplying you with all this power and apologize to everyone…starting with your sister."

Rorlock looked to Crystal, who wept for him pitifully. His dark heart was breaking from strain and guilt, and he knew that the game was up. Reaching for Peter's hand, their fingers just brushed against one another when he started, "His name is Sha-" He stopped, his eyes bulging from their sockets as he gasped, wheezing for breath.

"Rorlock?" Peter asked, startled. He froze as he heard a wicked, hissing voice echo, _"Oh no you don't, Rory…"_ Black smoke twisted around the young man like a snake, choking him. "Rory!" Peter cried, lunging out to stop the magic when someone grabbed him from behind.

"No, boy," Hook grunted, struggling to keep Peter away. "Not this time."

"Let go of me!" Peter cried, kicking and squirming in the pirate's grasp. "I can help-!"

A blast of purple light engulfed the wizard, his body going slack. Peter watched in horror and dismay, also going limp in Hook's arms. Somewhere, floating in the air, as though it were retreating, the horrible voice whispered, _"Until next time, Peter…"_

No one moved for a time, all eyes upon the once terrible wizard of the Northern Shores. Finally, Hook released Peter, holding him steady. "Boy…?"

"I'm fine," Peter muttered, stepping towards Rorlock's body. Sensing movement nearby, he looked to see Crystal walking towards them, her eyes shining with unshed tears as she bravely came forward.

"…he wasn't so bad…he was just…I…" She wanted so badly not to cry, but she could not help her trembling lips or her stinging eyes. "Please forgive me, Rory…"

"_Crystal…"_

Looking up, everyone gasped upon seeing a ghostly figure come before them, landing beside the girl.

"Rory!" Crystal exclaimed.

The young man smiled sadly, kneeling down and patting her head. _"Hi, Crystal."_

"But how can you be a ghost?" Peter gasped, stunned.

"_Neverland has magic that makes us materialize…but the power I had overtook my body and killed me. I'm in my original state, and I have to move on,"_ Rory explained.

"Don't go, Rory! Please!" Crystal cried, embracing the ghost.

Hugging her back, he said, _"I have to…but you're safe and happy here, Crystal. Why don't you stay? Can you ever forgive me for what I've done? Both back home and here?"_ Looking to the people in the room, he frowned sadly. _"I don't expect any of you to forgive me or understand, but I am truly sorry for what I've done."_

"Of course I forgive you!" Crystal wept.

Murmurs and whispers spread throughout the room, but the majority of the people before him nodded and offered sympathetic smiles.

"_Thank you,"_ he nodded. Looking out the window, he smiled as the snow and ice began to thaw in farther parts of the Northern Shores. "_Crystal, that key will fit into all the locks hidden in the pillars. Free the Siblings and rule your kingdom."_ Standing, he offered Peter his hand. _"And thank you, Peter…will you watch over my sister?"_

"Always and forever," Peter vowed firmly, shaking his hand.

"_Thanks…before I go, there's one last thing I have to tell you, now that I'm free…"_ Leaning forward, he placed his lips to Peter's ear and whispered, _"Shadow Dust."_ Pulling back, he vanished, fading until there was nothing left of him.

Peter blinked, his brows furrowing in confusion. Shadow Dust? Then it hit him – the name of the creature that lured them to Neverland and gave Rorlock his powers must have been named Shadow Dust. That was what Rory was going to say before the monster killed him! Looking to Crystal, he knelt down and asked, "So? What're we going to do first, Princess?"

Taking the key in one hand and Peter's in the other, she walked to each pillar, and with his help, unlocked each one. Once the fourth had been opened, the pillars glowed and sparkled, four individuals emerging from their cells.

"Thank goodness!" the first exclaimed, her long brown locks curling around her face. She had soft, rosy skin and wore a white frock, flowers sewn into it. A crown of primroses covered her hair, her gray eyes shining. Twirling delicately in the air, her feet bare as she pirouetted in the midst of the people below, she smiled and flew down, kissing the little girl. "Thank you, darling," she cooed. Squealing, she embraced Peter. "Peter! I _knew_ you'd come for us!"

"Hi, Primrose," Peter chuckled. "Sorry it took so long."

"You'd better be sorry!"

Above them floated three other figures, stretching from their confinement. Down came another female, her blonde hair short and spiked, her eyes a light shade of green, her skin sun-kissed. She wore a two-piece outfit, made of weaved grass, green leaves, and bright exotic flowers. Placing her hands upon her hips, she pouted at Peter. "You took much longer than we were hoping, and you're supposed to be the hero around here!"

"I said I was sorry, Sunlight," Peter rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hey, he made it and that's all that matters," said the first boy, his red hair a wild mess, his brown eyes twinkling as he beamed at them. He, too, was dressed in leaves, though these were brown, orange, crimson, and gold, a matching cape draped over his shoulders. "I see you've made an alliance with the pirates," he laughed, seeing Hook gawk at them.

"It's been pretty busy since we last met, Autumn Wind," Peter grinned. Suddenly, a ball of snow slammed into his face, causing him to fall backwards. "Hey!" he laughed, wiping the snow from his face and flying up to the last figure. Grinning, he tackled the fourth figure. "Jack Frost, you cheated! I wasn't ready for that!"

"But that's the best time – when people aren't expecting it," the boy laughed, his blue eyes sparkling. "You ought to know that by now!" His white hair was pulled back into a ponytail, his skin as pale as the Snow Princess's. He wore a blue and silver suit embroidered with snowflakes and frost; his boots, gloves, and cape were lined with fur.

After tussling for a few moments, Peter landed and introduced the Season Siblings to the assembly. "It's been a long day," Peter said finally. "Why don't we get some shut eye and work this out in the morning?"

"A promising plan," Hook yawned. "It has been a trying day."

"Peter!" Wendy cried, with Tinker Bell close by. The two females tackled him and he surrendered willingly. "Thank goodness you're alright!" she sighed as the fairy scolded him for giving them a fright.

"Sorry I scared you, Wendy," he smiled, kissing her cheek. "Say, whatever happened to the unicorns?"

Smiling and looking to Tink, she led Peter to the windows and pointed out to the plains. There, a herd of proud, horned horses galloped as the moon shone overhead. Neighing proudly, they took off into the night. Grinning, Peter gathered Wendy in his arms and spun her around. "Excellent work, Wendy lady!"

"I didn't do it alone," she blushed.

"Still," Peter insisted. A gentle tug on his cloak made him look down, smiling as he saw little Crystal staring up at him. "Hey, Crystal. This is Wendy, and Tink," he said, pointing to each one. "Girls, this is Snow Princess Crystal."

"Hello," Wendy smiled curtsying.

Crystal curtsied back, smiling shyly. "I can show you where you'll stay for the night."

"Thank you, Crystal," Wendy said, kissing the girl's forehead. "You could stay with us if you liked." Crystal nodded, taking Wendy's hand. "Ok, let's go."

**NEVERLAND**

When morning came, Rorlock's body was buried in a quiet corner of the castle courtyard. The Spacelings joined the Lost Boys in the throne room of the castle afterwards and gathered around to listen to the Time Keeper.

"Princess Crystal has something to say," the Fae woman said, motioning for the child to come forward.

"I know my brother did bad things and made you work really hard," she said, holding her head high as she grabbed Peter's hand for support. "But I want to say I'm really sorry and that I want you all to live free."

The Spacelings began to murmur amongst themselves, delighted at the news but curious about the Snow Princess. Stepping forth, Onlo spoke.

"Princess…we thank you for releasing us…however, it's unfair that we cut ties with you. With all due respect, you're only a child, after all…"

"I'm not really a princess," she shook her head.

"But if we made you our princess, and if you allowed some of us to live in the castle and act as your employees, you could govern us justly," Onlo suggested.

"Does that mean you'll take her as your ruler?" the Timer Keeper smiled.

"Yup yup!" Blorg grinned, hopping into the girl's arms as she giggled.

"In that case, you'll need a crown," Peter said, whispering something to Jack Frost. The wintry boy chuckled, waving his hand languidly in the air as he created a delicate snowflake tiara. Handing it to Peter, he winked at the little girl. "I, Peter Pan, hereby name you Snow Princess Crystal of the Northern Shores of Neverland!" Peter proclaimed, crowing the child as everyone cheered. Bowing to the little girl, he kissed her hand and winked, causing her to giggle. "You'll need some advisors…might I suggest Onlo and the Time Keeper?"

She nodded, smiling at the two figures. "Pretty please?"

"Of course, my princess," Time Keeper nodded, curtsying before her.

"I couldn't-!" Onlo stammered.

"You're the best one for the job," insisted Violet. "And that way you can help Crystal and take care of your people."

Crystal nodded in agreement and he yielded, smiling at the girl. "Very well."

"Then all that's left is to create a bridge between the two shores," the Time Keeper stated.

"And how exactly will we do that?" Hook asked, intrigued.

"Let's ride there and find out," Peter grinned, leading them outside.

Saying their goodbyes to the Spacelings, the Lost Boys, pirates, princess, and Time Keeper paired up and rode on the unicorns back to the mountains. Flying with them were the Season Siblings, teasing and taunting one another as they flew over the strapping animals and their riders. Upon arriving at the mountains' base, they halted and got off the magnificent horses. One of them nuzzled Wendy, earning a kiss on the nose.

"Until next time," she smiled, turning back to face her friends.

"How're we supposed to create a bridge?" asked Crystal.

"Take Peter's hands," the Time Keeper instructed them. "Close your eyes…imagine a tunnel…and believe that it's there."

The two of them did as they were told, imagining a pathway through the thick, coarse rocks. Peter imagined his side as Crystal imagined hers, and when the Time Keeper asked them to open their eyes, they were aghast at the sight of an opening.

"It worked!" Crystal exclaimed, embracing Peter.

Peter grinned as he held her until he felt that she was shaking. Frowning, he pulled her back and was startled to see her crying. "What is it?" he asked, worried for her.

"You're leaving…what if I never see you again?" she hiccupped, her bottom lip trembling.

"Hey, I'm not leaving Neverland ever," Peter smiled, wiping away her tears. "I'll come and visit you soon, and one day, I'll bring you over to visit the other side. That's why this tunnel is here, isn't it?" She nodded shyly, a small smile on her lips. "I'll be here whenever you need me. I promise."

"Pinky promise?" she asked, holding up her little finger.

"Pinky promise," he vowed, curling his own finger around hers with a grin. Embracing her once more, he kissed her forehead and earned a kiss on the cheek in return. Handing her to the Time Keeper, he cocked his head at the Siblings. "What'll you four be up to?"

"We're going to check out the real world and then come back for a little holiday," Primrose smiled brightly. "We'll be back before you know it!"

"Then we'd better head back," Peter said, patting Mikey and Mouse on their heads. "I kinda miss home."

"Yeah, it feels like we've been away forever," Mikey nodded in agreement.

Waving to their new friends, Peter led the boys and pirates back through the tunnel, the fairies lighting the way as Nana and Neko romped ahead.

"I'll be glad to get back onto the ship," Mr. Smee confessed.

"Aye, and I'll be anxious to see my lovely wife," Hook chuckled. "I ought to flog a few men or do some keelhauling, too, just to get back into being a pirate again."

"Those poor men," Wendy sighed, rolling her eyes at Hook. Looking to Peter, she admitted, "It will be nice to get back home…I'm sure Flameburst and Sapling are wondering what happened."

"Yeah, and I can't wait to see what other adventures there are for us!" Peter grinned, taking Wendy's hand in his. Looking away, he couldn't help the prodding, annoying question that kept coming back to bother him. Just who was this Shadow Dust character, and why did he cause so much trouble?

**NEVERLAND**

"_Oh, you haven't seen the last of me, Peter Pan…not by a long shot."_

Watching from the sky, the dark figure twirled his hooded cape and vanished from sight, a new plot already brewing in the back of his sinister mind.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you all enjoyed and thank you for checking out the story! Please don't forget to let me know what you thought, and if you haven't done so yet, don't forget to vote for your favorite couple from "Pan's Never-Neverland".

**fischgrl:** Thank you and yes, feel free to call me Rose :) I'm so glad you and your son enjoyed the story. Thank you for your words of encouragement and I will keep you all in my prayers. God bless!

**idontfixcomputers:** Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying :)


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Thanks to **fischgrl, idontfixcomputers, and MysteryintheShadows **for reviewing on the last chapter. I apologize for having taken so long to get back to the story - life happens :) Hope you all enjoy this one and please let me know what you think. Later!

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

"Halloween?!"

"That's right. You all remember what Halloween is, don't you?" Wendy asked, folding a shirt and setting it aside with the other clothes she was mending.

"Of _course_ we know what Halloween is!" Lump grinned. "There's candy!"

"And we dress up!" the Twins exclaimed.

"What're you thinking about, Wendy?" Violet asked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

With excitement in her cerulean eyes, Wendy set down her needle and thread and looked at the boys. "I think we should have some fun and celebrate Halloween! We could make our own costumes and have a little party here-"

"And play a prank on everyone and scare the living daylights outta them!" Ruff laughed, slapping his knee. "That'd be awesome!"

"What would be awesome?"

Peter flew through the entrance of the Home Under the Ground, heading for the makeshift clock Tinker Bell had made for them. Having come back from finding the Crocodile and figuring out what time it was, he fixed the setting on their clock before turning to see what they were all excited about.

"Party!" Mouse cried, grabbing onto Peter's left leg.

"Wendy says we should have a party!" Mikey clarified, latching himself to Peter's right leg.

"A party?" Peter grinned, floating off of the ground with the two children. "What's the occasion?"

"Halloween," Partly told him.

Peter laughed merrily, taking the little ones into his arms and flying to Wendy. "That sounds like fun! We can play pranks on the pirates – you _know_ they're very superstitious!"

"I doubt my aunt will appreciate that," Ben grinned wickedly. "But it does sound like fun!"

"Nothing too dangerous, Peter," Wendy warned him, picking up another shirt and sewing once more. "I've seen and heard about pranks go too far back in the real world and people can get hurt or d-OW!" She winced, drawing her hand away at once. Her cry had startled the dogs so much that they leapt to their paws and started to bark. "Hush Neko! Nana!" she scolded them.

"Wendy? Are you alright?" Jon asked, surprised by her shout of pain.

"I'm fine, I just got distracted and forgot to grab the thimble. I've pricked my finger," she explained, waving her hand as if to shake off their concern and the pain pounding in her finger.

Peter set the boys down and went to her side, gently taking her hand. "Here, let me look…"

Fascinated by the chemistry between their mother and leader, the Lost Boys remained silent as they leaned forward, watching with huge eyes.

"_Honestly!"_ snapped the cynical Tinker Bell from her little house as she served her friends tea. _"You would think they were watching some sort of surgery taking place!"_

Flameburst and Blue Falls giggled while Sapling shrugged. _"They're only boys, after all,"_ Flameburst said, sipping her tea after adding some chili powder.

"_I have a bad feeling about this Halloween stuff,"_ Sapling whispered to Blue Falls. _"Isn't that when spirits come out?"_

"_That's true…but we haven't had trouble with spirits here in eons,"_ Blue Falls shrugged his shoulders. His brows furrowed, however, as he remembered their recent adventure from the Northern Shores nearly a week ago. _"Then again…there was that thing that killed Rorlock…Peter said he called it 'Shadow Dust'."_

"_But they'll be indoors for the party. Surely they'll be ok?" _Flameburst spoke up.

"_Even if you warned Peter about Halloween customs, I think that would only encourage him to go looking for trouble,"_ Tinker Bell sighed. _"Let's just hope that this all blows over quickly…"_

**NEVERLAND**

All throughout that same day, the Lost Boys scurried all over the island looking for parts to piece together to create an outfit with Tink and Wendy's help. Tiger Lily and Conch were invited to join them, and they gladly accepted.

"Maybe we ought to ask Captain Hook and Christine," Wendy suggested. "They could let us have the party aboard the ship?"

"And spoil the fun of scaring him hookless?" Peter grinned. "Never!"

"I second that!" Ruff crowed.

"Of course you would," Violet rolled her eyes.

As the boys began to argue about what to be, Wendy felt a gentle tug on her shirt. "Skipper?" she asked, noticing the child.

"Wendy…what could I be?" he asked, glancing forlornly at his missing arm. "I've only got one arm…should I just be a ghost? No one ever notices-"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Wendy said, embracing the boy. An idea wormed its way into her head, and she gasped as she realized what she could do. "Tink!" she cried, calling the fairy over. "Could you create some sort of artificial limb? Just make it into one position." She modeled for the little tinker and motioned for her to come close. Whispering her idea into the fairy's ear, Tinker Bell doubled over laughing and nodded her agreement, flying off to complete her work.

"Peter, what will you dress up as?" Wendy called out as the boys got into a tussle.

"It's a surprise!" Peter grinned. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Why?"

"I need to borrow your coat if you're not using it for your costume," Wendy said nonchalantly.

Seeing Skipper standing beside her, he understood why she asked and chuckled as he slipped it off of his frame. "Brilliant idea, Wendy lady," he said, placing the coat over the boy's shoulder. Winking, he said, "I'm going out to see if I can find some other things I need for my outfit."

Watching his leader leave, Skipper's eyes lit up as he realized what Wendy had in mind for him. "You're the best mother in the whole wide world, Wendy!" Skipper declared, throwing his one good arm around her as he hugged her tightly.

"Not really," she said modestly, kissing his cheek. "But I do want us all to be happy and have fun."

**NEVERLAND**

"'_Have fun,' hmmm? I'll show you some fun."_

Deep in the Never-Forest, the shadowy figure meshed with the darkness, silent and still like a cobra waiting to strike. The corners of his thin lips turned upward upon seeing Peter flying back with several cloaks, some of them made and repaired by the fairies of the island. Holding his breath, he waited for Peter to come closer…

There was a bright shine coming from one of the trees, catching Peter's attention at once. "Hmm?" he muttered, twisting his body so that he might go and see what it was. His eyes widened at the sight of a shining gold tiara decked with diamonds, a dark velvet-lined mask of forest green, and a worn-out brown cowboy hat with hawk feathers protruding from the band encircling the top of the hat. "Wow, this'll be great for some of the costumes!" Gathering them in his arms, he gave a cocky crow and flew off. "Whoever left these back there is gonna be surprised when he finds them gone," he chuckled. "Probably the pirates…"

"_On the contrary, Peter Pan,"_ purred the figure in his hiding place. _"I'm not surprised in the least…"_

**NEVERLAND**

As night fell over the island, the boys were hopping with excitement. Wendy and Violet had cleared the place of any messes and began cooking and baking for the event.

"Who needs candy when you've got Never-berries?!" Len laughed.

"Especially when they're coated with sugar or cocoa!" Mikey grinned. He was grateful they had the Indians as their allies, for they were the ones who showed them where to find the cocoa beans and how to create chocolate. Of course, this was a slightly different bean and not to be confused with cacao from the real world. It had a different taste from chocolate in the real world, but it was nonetheless delicious, perhaps even more so.

Jon and Ben had split off to pick up their girlfriends and had been gone for quite some time.

"I can't help but worry," Wendy confessed as she finally allowed the boys to have a cup of punch she had made. She was a vision in her flowing white gown, her shoulders exposed and her curling hair pinned into a bun. On her feet were dainty silver slippers.

"I'm sure they're fine," Violet said, though she couldn't help herself as she looked at the clock, nearly ready to strike seven. She was dressed in black, of course, with a pointy witch's hat dipping over her brow.

"Hey, no sweat," Ruff reassured them. "I'll go look for Jon and Lily." He was feeling a little smug in his cowboy attire, glad that Peter had found him the hat in the forest.

"And I'll go look for Ben and Conch," Peter volunteered.

Ruff took off through the stairway but Peter lingered.

"I almost forgot," Peter said, pulling out a tiara from the folds of his cloak. He was dashing in his Lincoln green and mud brown attire, a pointed green cap with a scarlet feather on his head while a bow and sling of arrows hung over his shoulders.

"Oh, Peter, it's beautiful! You shouldn't have," Wendy blushed, seeing the gift in his hands.

"I dub thee Princess Cinderella!" Peter declared as he placed the crown on her head. The Lost Boys cheered, bowing to their princess. "All hail Cinderella!"

"_Cinderella my-!"_ Tinker Bell began to retort, silenced by Blue Falls lips.

"I'll be back in no time, milady," Peter grinned, slipping his mask over his eyes. "Or my name isn't Robin Hood!" Flying out through the stairway and slipping out of his tree, Peter flew out towards the Mermaid's Lagoon, certain that the only reason Ben and Conch were late was that they got distracted with one another. "I'll be back in a jiffy," he grinned.

At this point in time, the clock in the Underground House struck seven. Peter was nowhere near a clock but it was all he could hear the moment the hours struck true. "Argh!" he growled, covering his ears in a vain attempt to block out the sound. "What's happening?!" he grimaced, swaying in the wind. The chimes of the unseen clock and the buffets of the wind knocked him down, causing him to collapse deep in the forest. And somewhere in all this racket, all he could hear until he blacked out was the word, "Forget…forget…forget…"

**NEVERLAND**

"Wendy!" Violet cried, running to her friend's side. The boys crowed around, fearful for their mother.

"_What's going on?"_ Sapling asked as he led the fairies out to see Wendy.

"I don't know!" Violet shook her head. "The clock struck seven and she covered her ears and started crying out and then she fainted!"

"Wendy?" the Twins whispered, poking her arm.

"_I don't like this,"_ frowned Blue Falls. _"Something's not right…"_

"Uhnn…"

"Wendy!" Skipper and Mikey gasped, relieved to see her stirring, her eyelids fluttering. "Wendy, you scared us-!"

"What…what happened?" she asked, grimacing as she sat up. "Oh…" Rubbing her head, she blinked her eyes open. They widened upon seeing Violet, the boys, and the fairies. Even the dogs scared her. "Please, don't hurt me! I never meant to go out so late! It's not even midnight yet!"

"Wendy, what're you talking about?" Len asked, his brows furrowing together.

"Who's Wendy?" the girl asked, still shaking like a leaf. "I-I'm just Cinderella. Please don't tell my stepmother I snuck out!"

"Cinderella?" Mouse repeated, cocking his head in confusion.

"Really funny, Wendy," Violet rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you gave us a heart attack-"

Wendy screamed upon seeing Violet with her dark make-up and pointed hat. "Don't hurt me! My fairy godmother will get you!"

"Wendy-?!" Violet started, shocked. She was too stunned to go after her when Wendy ran out of the house like a madwoman. Looking to the Lost Boys, she was flabbergasted, "What-?"

"_That tiara,"_ Tinker Bell frowned, stroking her cheek in thought. _"It sparkled strangely just now…does anyone know where Peter found it?"_

"Peter showed us the stuff earlier," Partly said. "He said he found that crown, his mask, and Ruff's hat in the Never-Forest on his way back from the Fairy Kingdom."

"_There's magic involved here,"_ Blue Falls noted. _"If they don't remember who they are or even think that they are who they're dressed as, then this could cause trouble. Sapling, you stay here. Flameburst, you go find Jon and Lily and warn them about Ruff. Tink, find Ben and Conch and warn them about Peter. I'll try to find Wendy and see if I can get her to come back."_

Nodding in agreement, they split off, hoping and praying that all would be well.

**NEVERLAND**

"I hope they're not too worried about us being late," Tiger Lily said as she and Jon strolled through the jungles of Neverland, alert of their surroundings and of themselves. Tiger Lily was fascinated with the idea of dressing up and celebrating with her friends. Jon had even brought a costume from Wendy for her – a gown that seemed to have come from the Victorian era, very much like a costume Wendy wore at a party back in the real world when they were fighting Shade. She adored it, and thought Jon to look very regal in his tribal suit. Her father, Chief Great Big Little Panther, was amused and pleased to see Jon dressed in his Indian brave uniform. Having been declared an official member of the tribe (a name that was only given to Peter Pan before Jon came to Neverland) for fighting alongside them and learning their ways, Jon was viewed as a young protégé and possible candidate for a future chief if he ever wedded his daughter. Tiger Lily insisted against it (for the time being anyways) saying that they were only children, and Jon readily agreed.

"I'm sure they'll forgive us once we get back." Jon chuckled, holding his sack of corncakes, nuts, cocoa, and corn from the Indians. "Your people are always so generous to us."

"They are your people, too. We are…extended family, I guess," she giggled, holding her own sack filled with smoked meats to accompany their supper at the party. "It all started when Peter saved me from Hook many years ago on Marooner's Rock…"

A rustle in the trees startled them, causing them to spin around.

"YE-HAW!"

"Get back, Lily!" Jon cried, pulling out his tomahawk when his eyes widened at the sight. "Ruff?"

"That's Jesse James ta you! Roughest, toughest bandit alive!" Ruff grinned wickedly, cracking a vine at them as though it were a whip. "Stand down, Injun, gimme the goods, and unhand the lady!"

"Ruff, this isn't funny!" Tiger Lily snapped at him.

"Lady, I dunno what this savage has been tellin' you but-"

"SAVAGE?!" Jon and Lily fumed.

"_Stop!"_ Flameburst screeched, throwing a burst of dust at the ground. At once, a line of fire appeared, separating the couple from the rampant boy-turned-bandit.

Ruff jumped back, spooked. Seeing the ball of red-orange light blazing around Lily and Jon, he began to run. "It's the devil!" he gasped, darting off into hiding.

Sighing with relief, Flameburst waved her hands over the fire, a gust of wind blowing it out until there was nothing but a line of smoke.

"_Are you ok?"_ she asked the children, flitting about in worry.

"I think so," Jon said, staring off after Ruff's trail. "…that was weird."

"Flameburst, what's wrong with him?" the Indian princess demanded.

"_Hurry, back into the Underground House,"_ she urged them, guiding them through the gnarled trees. _"Blue Falls has an idea about what's going on, and it's not good."_


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Thank you to **bookworm23821, fischgrl, idontfixcomputers, and fandomluva2theend.** :) I can't tell you how much I appreciate the reviews. Also a thank you to **TJ Jordan**, who has given me lots to think of on Peter Pan and some inspiration too ^_^ I don't own Peter Pan - just my OCs and the crazy plots thank you. Hope you all enjoy and please let me know what you think. See you all soon!

**bookworm23821:** Thanks so very much! Glad you like it :)

**fischgrl:** LOL I never thought of that, but now that you mention it, he does seem a little like Woody. Thank you for the review!

**idontfixcomputers: **LOL yes, you remembered! Thank you for catching on, Ruff IS Native American and he's dressed as a cowboy XD You win a cookie!

**fandomluva2theend:** Aw thank you! I agree - it's time someone stuck with Peter ^_^ I don't know if you understand any of the comments made to the previous story (I recently finished "Pan's Never-Neverland" that is the original before this story was created) but I do hope you continue to read this story and enjoy it. :) Thanks for your review!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

"_There's no sign of them!"_ Tinker Bell cried, flying back into the Underground House.

"No sign of who?" asked Conch, sitting beside a panic-stricken Violet.

The fairy's jaw dropped at this. _"How did you guys get back?!"_

"We walked," Conch shrugged.

"We took a different route to have some…time to talk," Ben blushed. "Sorry. But they've explained what happened."

"_I couldn't find Peter, either!"_ she cried, frustrated and worried.

"Hey, are you all right?" shouted Jon, entering the house with Tiger Lily and Flamerburst. "We saw Ruff, except…"

"He wasn't Ruff…he called himself 'Jesse James,' whoever that is," Tiger Lily frowned. "Flameburst says Blue Falls thinks Ruff, Wendy, and Peter are all under a spell."

"Even Ruff's got it bad?" Violet moaned, covering her face. "What are we going to do?"

"For now, let's wait until Blue Falls gets back," Lily suggested. "Who knows what could happen out there if we go looking for them?"

"I just hope they don't encounter anyone and hurt them," Conch whispered. "I hope they're ok…"

**NEVERLAND**

The blue fairy trailed after the petrified girl, determined to get her to stop so he might figure out whether or not it was just the tiara that was influencing her.

"_Wendy! Wendy, wait!"_ he shouted, pausing in the air suddenly. _"Oh dear!"_

Wendy stopped dead in her tracks as a figure stepped forth from the shadows, tipping his hat at her.

"Howdy, Missy," Ruff said, his vine lasso tied to his belt. Blue Falls grimaced, seeing how Ruff had also been caught under the spell. "Ya lost?"

"No, no, I'm fine, thank you," she stammered, walking backwards from him. "I was just going home-"

"Let me take you there," he smirked, an aggressive shine in his eyes. "Pretty little thing like you wanderin' 'round at this hour in this wilderness…"

Wendy gasped as she found herself pressed against a tree, with no way out. "No! Let me go!" she cried as he grabbed her arms.

"No need for that hollerin'," Ruff cooed, grinning hungrily as he raised his hand to touch her face.

And arrow flew out of the dark greenery, cutting through his sleeve and nailing him to the tree. "What in blazes-?!" he exclaimed, his head whipping over his shoulder to glare at the unseen foe.

"_I better get the others!"_ gasped Blue Falls, flitting away faster than a wasp.

"Show yerself, vermin!" snapped Ruff, releasing Wendy and yanking the arrow out of his sleeve. Snipping around, one hand on his vine lasso, he looked about, frowning as he glared to and fro in the darkness.

"Let her go," said a firm, defiant voice.

"Huh!" Ruff sniffed. "Make me! Show yerself, coward!"

Two more arrows flew out at him. He ducked and jumped away just in time as the arrows pierced the ground where he had been standing.

Wendy gasped, taking off when she realized one of her slippers had come off. Turning, she went to grab it when she noticed another figure emerging from the woods. Fear got the better of her, and she ran away without a second thought, hoping she could find her way home again.

Infuriated by the newcomer, Ruff forgot about his prey, brandishing his lasso at the hooded figure. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" he snarled.

The young man was cloaked in Lincoln green, the forest hues of his clothes keeping him hidden with the rest of his environment. His emerald eyes glittered in the dark beneath his velvet-lined mask, one eyebrow cocked at his opponent. In his hands were a longbow and an arrow, ready to be fired. "Call me Robin Hood," said the figure coolly.

"Robin Hood? Cute," sneered Ruff. "I'm about ready to rope that hood of your over your smug face and-"

An arrow shot out, grazing his arm. An angry cry of hurt and surprise filled the air as he dropped his lasso to grip his arm.

"You're trying my patience," Robin Hood said, stepping out of the shadows and into the open area when his enemy glared at him. "I've intentionally missed to avoid further damage, but I won't hesitate to shoot you down. Be gone or I shall dispose of you."

"What's your beef, partner?" Ruff frowned. "I ain't done nothin' to you-!"

"You imposed yourself upon a lady and I shan't stand for it," said the archer, a faint hint of a British accent tinting his speech. "Now go."

Snatching his lasso, Ruff gave a battle cry and threw his weapon, intending to dispose of the bow. Robin Hood nimbly leapt forward, ducking under the rope. Reaching up, he snatched the vine and twisting it around his wrist gave a sharp tug, yanking Ruff forward. Slipping the bow over his head, he raised his arm and smacked the other boy square in the jaw.

The sudden movement of the attack stunned Ruff, causing him to fall back. The cowboy hat fell to the ground, crushed under the boy's weight.

"Argh!" Ruff cried, reaching for his chin. Shaking his head, he blinked his eyes open, the fog in his mind clearing. "Ow…what-? HEY!" Rolling away, he leapt to his feet, dodging the boy's blows. "Pete?!" he gasped, somersaulting away. "Peter! What's up with you? Knock it off, dude!"

"I don't know what sort of trickery you're up to, villain," Peter Pan answered, trapped in the illusion that he saw indeed the outlaw of Sherwood Forest. "But I can tell you it won't work on me. I am, after all, a trickster myself." Spinning with deadly precision, he raised his leg and used his heel to knock Ruff down. Watching the boy collapse, he frowned at him, ready to challenge him once again when a frightened, feminine scream filled the air. Like a moth to the flame, Peter ran through the wilderness in search of the person in need of rescuing. He paused only once, noticing a silver slipper in the grass. Snatching it, he ran as fast as he could, abandoning the other boy.

Ruff remained still, wincing as he regained his senses. "…damn, he can kick," he muttered, his jaw and chest sore from Peter's attack. Forcing himself up, he was startled when a figure from behind stepped in. "Who-?"

"It's alright, boy," the light voice of one of Hook's men responded. "I'm not your enemy tonight. Can we settle on a truce?"

Looking up, Ruff was started to see the face of the youngest member of Hook's ship. "Kipper? Is that you?"

"Aye," the young man grinned, helping Ruff to sit up. "Nice of you to remember me, Ruff."

"How could I forget you? Remember the time we tricked the Croc away from the Mermaids and after a shark?" Ruff grinned, only to grimace at the pain in his mouth.

"Aye, that was a riot," chuckled the young buccaneer. "Or the time we were back on Never-Neverland and tried talking to those girls that came in?"

"That was before Vi, Wendy, and her brothers finally came to the park," Ruff nodded. "Listen…this is gonna sound weird but-"

"Ruff!"

Violet, Tiger Lily, Jon, Neko, and the fairies came into the clearing, startled to see him on the ground chatting amiably with Kipper. "Ruff, are you-?" Violet startled.

"Vi, what happened?" Ruff asked, rubbing his head. "All I remember is putting on that hat, stepping out to find Lily and Jon, and then…there was a sort of pounding in my head…there was a clocking chiming, and the word 'forget' kept echoing…"

"At least he's normal," the Indian princess noted.

"Kipper, what're you doing out?" asked Jon.

"The Cap'n needed some fresh berries for the mistress to make a pie and show that blasted cook how to make it properly," sighed the pirate. "I was the only one who volunteered. Me mates were scared witless – said it was Halloween and they didn't want to get bewitched."

"_Ruff, how did you snap out of the spell?"_ Blue Falls demanded to know.

"Spell? I was under a spell-?" He grabbed the crushed cowboy hat, squinting at it in the dark. He squinted so hard that when the moonlight shone down on it, the feathers and band seemed to glimmer, a faint sparkle showing at the brim of the hat. "The minute I put on the hat, I blacked out. Then, the hat came off of my head and all of a sudden, Pete's swinging at me like there's no tomorrow."

"_That settles it,"_ Blue Falls nodded. _"I know what we have to do."_

"What's that fairy of your yapping about?" Kipper asked, raising an eyebrow at the glimmering figure.

Blue Falls began to chime to the others, leaving Ruff to translate to the young pirate. "He says that Peter found some stuff in the woods earlier today for costumes…I got this hat, Pete's wearing a mask, and Wendy's got a crown on. We need to take the mask and crown and they'll be back to normal."

"But who would want to cast such a spell on them? The Captain's not interested in fairy magic," Kipper frowned, tapping his chin in thought. "Yer sure it's not one of your fairies that accidentally did this-?" He promptly received a bit on the ear from Tinker Bell. "OW! Dammit all! Ok, sorry!" he scowled, rubbing his ear. The bite stung like a bee sting.

"We'll figure out who did this later," Violet said, helping her boyfriend to his feet. "Let's go and find the others first-"

A scream pierced the air, causing them to freeze in fear.

"Wendy!" Jon gasped, taking off in the direction where the sound came from.

"Let's go! Hurry!" Tiger Lily shouted, leading them after Jon. "I just hope we're not too late!"

**NEVERLAND**

Running away from the cowboy and his opponent had gotten her even more lost and confused than before. Taking a few wrong turns, she was filled with terror upon seeing a massive crocodile emerge from the darkness and chase after her. With its gaping mouth and daggers for teeth, she wished she could fly away from the creature. She wished for her fairy godmother, but she did not answer. Tripping and scrambling, she managed to climb away to a ledge of a hill but the reptile was relentless, the menacing ticking from inside her stomach taunting the girl.

She ran until she didn't know left from right, up from down, until suddenly, when she made the mistake of looking back, the ground disappeared from beneath her. She screamed, realizing too little, too late, that she was falling from a cliff. Her arms reached out for anything as she prayed that she would either be saved or die quickly.

A figure swung out from his perch, diving after her with only a vine connecting him to safety. With his free arm, he caught her with perfect precision, pulling her to his chest as he gracefully swung out over the treetops. She felt as though time had frozen as she dared to gaze up at her hero, startled by a set of glistening green eyes hiding behind a mask.

They landed with a little "thud," shaking her out of her stunned stupor. She was so frightened and overcome by everything that had happened that she felt her knees give out from under her, her one bare foot sore from running without her missing slipper. Swaying in the stranger's arms, she swooned and collapsed, resting against his frame.

He stood still, a little stunned by her reaction, but the furious roar of the now distant crocodile caused him to act quickly. This place was filled with dangers, which he enjoyed, but he couldn't afford to place this damsel in anymore distressing situations. Gathering her in his arms, he was stunned by her gentle beauty, something poking at his memory in the back of his mind as if he had seen her from somewhere before. Holding her closely, he dashed into the woods, searching for shelter before anyone or anything else came after them.

**NEVERLAND**

"_That's right…keep running…and when your friends find you, you'll be consumed by confusion and kill them all, whether it be by accident or intentional…and then I'll stop the spell and you will find yourself covered in their blood…and then, I will destroy you…"_


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** I apologize for taking so long to get back everyone - life's been crazy here :) Hope you all enjoy this one. I won't be able to write for a while, I will be away for a time, but I will write and post as soon as possible. Enjoy and let me know what you think. I own nothing except OCs and the plot. See you all next time! Oh, and a big thanks to **rose-loves-love**.

**idontfixcomputers:** LOL yes, that's exactly what I had in mind. Only in Neverland will you become the person you're dressed up as on Halloween night.

**fandomluva2theend:** Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!

**bookworm23821:** LOL the person you'd like to kill is called Shadow Dust, and eventually, I will let you get a shot at him ;) Hope you like this next one!

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

"PETER! WENDY!" Jon shouted as he ran through the woods.

The group traveled behind him, staying close until everyone stopped upon hearing the Crocodile roar in anger, not too far off.

"We'd better fly," Tiger Lily suggested.

"I can't fly," Kipper pointed out quickly.

"You're not much older than us, you could try," Violet offered.

"I don't know…"

"It's ok, I'll help," Ruff reassured him.

Sapling sprinkled him with fairy dust, giving an apologetic smile when Kipper's fingers dried with sticky dust on them. _"Sorry, but that's the reason I was give my name."_

"Your dust is like glue?" Ruff asked, intrigued. "Neat." He hoped, however that he and his pirate friend wouldn't be stuck together thanks to the dust.

"Which way?" Violet asked, peering into the darkness.

Tiger Lily knelt to the ground, letting her fingers brush over the trampled dirt and grass. "South-west…that's the way they ran to when the Crocodile started chasing them. They can't have gone too far, and it will be a little easier to track them since they have no memory of their ability to fly."

"I just hope we're not too late," Jon whispered, letting Lily lead the way. _"Please hang in there, Wendy!"_

**NEVERLAND**

The feeling of a cool rag pressed to her forehead was what Wendy awoke to when her eyelids began to flutter. The soft rumbling and soft kiss of mist became more apparent as she regained consciousness. A moan rolled its way from her throat to her lips as she reached up to touch her forehead. Her vision was blurred for moment, but as she began to make out shapes and colors, she could also see a pair of emerald eyes looking down upon her.

She gasped, recoiling in fear at the sight of the masked young man. Curling her hand over her necklace that contained an acorn button and gold locket, she began to scoot away from the figure. "Please, leave me alone! I just want to get back home-!"

"Shh…" he shushed her, placing a gloved finger on her lips. She froze, her eyes locked with his. "There are people following us, Princess. Best if we keep our voices down," he said gently, glancing away for a moment to check their surroundings.

Wendy blushed, bowing her head shamefully and looking away. "I'm…I'm not a princess," she whispered, her eyes tearing up.

Peter looked back to her, one eyebrow raised in confusion. "Oh?"

"…I'm a scullery maid," she admitted, letting her hair fall over her eyes. She gasped as he brushed the stray strands away, smudging a tear off of her cheek in the process.

"And I'm an outlaw," he chuckled, pulling his hood off of his head. Underneath was a feathered hat that covered his messy brown hair. He was still mysterious in his dark mask with his eyes glimmering in the darkness, a kind smile on his lips. From within the folds of his cloak, he pulled forth a silver slipper, causing her to glance down at her foot. "May I?" he asked, moving down to her bare foot.

She nodded timidly, accepting his offer. She blushed as he took her foot in his hand and gently slipped the shoe back on.

He smiled and winked. "A perfect fit…ah, forgive me, I haven't introduced myself." Swiping his hat off of his head, he bowed his torso to her, his free arm resting against his back. "I am called Robin Hood, Outlaw of Sherwood Forest. And whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

Biting her lip and striving to maintain some dignity, she held back her shoulders and raised her head. "Cinderella…just Cinderella."

"You are anything but 'just', milady," he reassured her, taking her hand and kissing it. He couldn't help staring at her cheeks as they became rosy and her blue eyes moved away shyly. "Allow me to assist you…" Offering her his hands, he rose to his feet, bringing her along with him. "Steady…that's it," he nodded, seeing that she was still a little wobbly from her adventure.

She leaned forward, crashing into his chest with a squeak of embarrassment. "Oh!" she winced, ducking her head. "I'm sorry-!" She stopped as he used his forefinger to lift her face so that they might look each other in the face.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," he said softly, tightening his hold on her as she shook. "You're shivering." Working swiftly, he set his bow and quiver down before unclasping the hooded cape from his neck and placing it over her shoulders.

"No, don't-!" she protested.

"It's all right," he reassured her. "It's all right, Cinderella."

She couldn't stop the blush that appeared on her face as he spoke her name. "…thank you, Robin."

He couldn't fathom just why his stomach started to twist like a wash rag but he liked how close they were. "Just where do you live, milady?"

"I…I don't know," she stammered, glancing around. "It's the strangest thing, but…I can't seem to recall what happened. I was on my way to the Prince's Ball-"

"Prince John?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"No, Prince Charming," she shook her head. He made a face at this but said nothing. "I was on my way there and then…I woke up in an underground house with all these children, and large dogs and a witch. I ran out and got lost in the forest when that strange young man advanced on me…and then you came," she said, her fingers curling around his tunic's collar. "You distracted him and I ran again…and then I found that awful, gigantic crocodile…I started falling…and then I woke up and you were here."

"It's funny you mention it…I can't seem to recall how I came here, either," he muttered, looking at the nearby waterfall in the clearing they were standing in. "I was patrolling the woods when I suddenly got dizzy…when I woke up, I found myself in that strange jungle and heard the commotion between you and that rogue…I ran after you and as I was making my way through the woods, I heard a group of voices calling for people named 'Peter' and 'Wendy'…even that odd fellow seemed to have a sudden change in character and started calling me 'Peter'…what we have here is a case of mistaken identity, and I don't plan to be taken in by anyone."

"If my stepmother were to find out I've gone missing…!" she whispered, fear filling her stomach.

"Surely she'll understand you were trapped in this magical world?" Peter asked, frowning at the thought of anyone becoming angry with this innocent girl.

"She'd sooner whip me than let me give any excuses for leaving the house" she shook her head. "I'm not her daughter – I'm her scullery maid, and she gave me explicit orders not to go to the ball. But I so wanted to go, and now…" Her eyes filled with tears as she began to tremble again. "I don't know what I'll do-!"

"Then don't go back," he said soothingly, pulling her close to his chest.

"But where will I go?" she asked, accepting his arms as they wrapped themselves around her.

"You could come with me…I'm not respectable, I know that," he said sadly. "But I would never harm you…and I would keep you safe…"

"Thank you," she whispered, tightening her hold on him. Raising her head, she looked up at him, entranced by his masked face. "Why do you wear that mask?"

His mouth opened to answer her, but he stopped, his brows furrowing in confusion and frustration. "…I…don't know…"

"NOW!"

At once, they were surrounded. Ruff, Violet, Jon, Tiger Lily, Kipper, Neko, and the fairies created a circle around them, poised and ready to jump at any given moment.

Wendy gasped, her eyes wide in fear. "NO!" she cried.

"Get behind me, Princess!" Peter shouted, putting himself before them as he grabbed his bow.

"Peter, Wendy, listen to us!" Violet pleaded. "We're your friends!"

"Friends? Not likely," Peter sneered. Nodding at Ruff, he snapped, "He tried to harm this lady and wouldn't stand down when I warned him to do so."

"Pete, it's all some sort of magic!" Ruff insisted, his country twang lost for good. "Take off the mask and crown and you'll see what we mean!"

"_Never_," Peter snarled.

"_Peter, please listen!"_ Tinker Bell chimed furiously. _"Take off that stupid mask!"_

Peter stared at the fairy, stunned. "…how…how can I understand you?"

"_You silly ass!"_ she spat out, causing him to raise a brow at her. Somehow he felt as though they'd met before…

"Take off the crown," Kipper said gently to Wendy.

"Please, Wendy, you've got to believe us!" Violet pleaded. "Do you remember anything before you woke up in the Underground House?"

Reaching up to her head, Wendy's fingers grazed the top of the tiara. It shifted under her touch, a glimmer of strange memories flashing before her eyes. She gasped as she saw two little boys – _"Brothers?"_ she wondered – and a young man flying through the air, crowing proudly as he landed before her and kissed her hand. Her fingers curled around the jeweled accessory, her fear and confusion replaced with determined curiosity.

"Please, Wendy…" she could hear the younger blonde-haired boy whisper, his eyes fixed on her with a pleading look.

Gripping the crown, she pulled it out of her hair, wincing as it tugged at her locks, almost as if it didn't want to be taken off. A flash of light passed before her eyes and she swayed, shaking her head to ward off the dizzy spell that overcame her. "Ugh…oh, my!" she whispered, blinking her eyes open as she held her head in her hands, dropping the tiara with disdain.

"Cinderella?" Peter asked, looking back at her with concern.

"Wendy!" Jon grinned. "You're back!"

"Yes," she smiled at him. "I'm back." Looking to Peter, she touched his shoulder and said firmly, "Please, Peter, listen to me – you must take that mask off!"

"You've fallen prey to their delusions as well," Peter frowned, a sad look in his eyes making her heart twist.

"No, it's not like that-" she struggled to explain.

"Get him!" Kipper shouted, leaping forth and tackling the boy. Ruff came after him with Jon, ready to pin him down.

"Unhand me, fiends!" Peter cried, his feathered cap falling to the ground. "Imbeciles! I don't know what you're taking about or who you're looking for, but let me go!"

"_What do we do now?" _Flameburst asked.

"_Rip that mask off!"_ Blue Falls ordered, his eyes widening in worry as Peter flung the boys off of him with a sudden strength. _"Uh oh."_

"Stop!" Peter shouted, clutching his head as he doubled over.

"Peter?" Tiger Lily asked, stepping forward. "Are you ok?"

"_Destroy them, Robin Hood…they are your enemies…once they are gone, you can live peacefully…but you must kill them! They are wicked…kill them…"_

"NO!" Peter cried angrily, covering his ears. The harsh, sinister voice echoed in his mind, sounding oddly familiar…somehow, he knew it was the cause of his being here, but he simply couldn't think at all with its voice echoing again and again in his brain. "STOP! STOP TALKING!" he screamed, looking about ready to rip his head off.

"Robin!"

Opening his eyes, he was stunned to hear another voice.

Wendy ran to him, landing on her knees before him. Taking his face in her hands, she moved his hands away, brushing his hair out of his face. "Robin," she whispered gently. "Don't listen to me, to them, to whatever is plaguing you…listen to yourself…"

He looked at her in despair, exhausted all of a sudden. "Something's wrong…something's telling me to kill you all…"

Wendy felt fear grip her stomach once again that night. Peter had only vaguely mentioned to them about some wicked force that had possessed Rorlock in the Northern Shores, but if this was that force, then she had to work fast. "Robin…don't be afraid…" Leaning in, she placed her lips on his, caressing his cheek with her thumb. Just as she had hoped, he surrendered to her, pulling her close to his frame.

With one swift movement, she slipped her thumb under the mask and drew it clean off of his face. Pulling away, she clutched the item and watched his face.

Peter's eyes snapped open, a glazed look upon his face. A roaring hiss shook the island for a moment, the word "NO!" evident.

"By Davy Jones' Locker, the island _is_ cursed on all Hallows' Eve!" Kipper gasped, making a sign of the cross at once.

"What was that?" Tiger Lily asked, her dagger at hand.

"_Shadow Dust,"_ Blue Falls noted, frowning. _"He's not happy…his plans didn't go according to plan…"_

"Peter?" Wendy asked, cautiously reaching for him.

He blinked once, twice, a third time…when her hand touched his cheek, Peter's eyes snapped open, the glazed look completely vanished. "…whoa…" he said, pulling the word into a long phrase as he winced and gripped his forehead. "…thanks everyone…and Wendy-" He was cut short when she lunged at him, claiming his mouth once more. He grinned as she kissed him, pulling her in even closer, causing her to squeak with shock and excitement.

"Peter! Thank goodness!" she laughed, embracing him.

"_Oh Peter Pan!"_ Tink smiled, lovingly pinching his cheek.

"Pete!" Ruff cried, running with the others to them.

Neko leapt upon the boy and licked him until his face shone with slobber. Peter laughed happily, scratching the hound behind the ears. Raising his gaze to see the group standing before him, he grinned as he saw Kipper offering him his hand.

"Thanks, you slum gulley!" he chuckled, taking his hand and hopping to his feet. Taking a moment to brush the grass off of himself, he looked at the group, apologizing with his eyes. "I don't remember much of what happened, but…whatever I did while I was out, I'm sorry."

"'Bout time," Ruff smirked, touching his jaw. "You kicked me in the face…and Peter Pan doesn't apologize for anything!"

The two boys chuckled, gripping each others' wrists in reconciliation.

"Ye could make it up to me by helpin' me look for berries for Miss Christine," Kipper jested. "The Cap'n's probably wonderin' where I am."

"Sounds fair," Peter nodded. "But first…" He took the mask from Wendy and flew to the tiara. "Ruff, you still have the hat?"

The boy pulled the crumpled hat from his vest, throwing it with disgust at Peter. "Whatcha gonna do with it? Make a bonfire?"

"Exactly," Peter nodded, creating a little pile of broken twigs and dry grass before setting the items atop it. "Flameburst, can you lit it?"

"_Consider it done,"_ she nodded, flying over the pile and sprinkling her dust. With a snap of her fingers, the items caught fire, the grass and leaves crackling as the flames began to spread.

They watched the hat, tiara, and mask crumple in the fire, all of them sensing a great relief and yet, at the same time, there was a feeling that this was far from over.

"…who is Shadow Dust, Peter?" Violet asked, facing him.

Peter shook his head, glaring at the fire. "I don't know for sure…but I'm going to find out."

**NEVERLAND**

"_Oh, you'd like to know, wouldn't you?!" _sneered the dark, misty figure in the cloud above. _"I'll be finished with you soon, Pan! My fool of a brother should have convinced your stupid father to just kill you or make you forget your memory! If you hadn't gone back for that stupid old Wendy-!"_ He stopped, the words clicking in his mind, an idea forming as quickly as the smile on his sinister face began to form. _"Ah…I do believe it's time for me to visit the Time Keeper…"_


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Sorry it's been a while - it's been a little crazy with me lately ;) I want to send a shout out to **TJ Jordan** for keeping me going with inspiration and friendship. I own nothing except OCs and the wacky plotlines. Hope you all enjoy and I'll see you all next time!

**Meredith:** I'm so happy you enjoyed and happy belated birthday! :) Thanks for your continued support and interest!

**bookworm23821:** Thanks for the complement! I'll let you find out what Shadow Dust is up to ;) And yeah, you could say Shade and Shadow Dust come from an extremely disfunctional family, haha! I HAVE seen "Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates" and it's a favorite of mine! Now that you mention it, he kind of does look like that version of Peter, just older I guess. I didn't plan for that but that's actually kind of cool. Thanks for pointing that out, and I hope you like this next chapter ^_^

**idontfixcomputers:** LOL I don't think anyone likes Shadow Dust ;) Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

**Danny37boy:** Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the first story and I hope I don't disappoint with this next one :)

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

Snow pelted the mountains as they always did, the wind howling outside of the cavern. Deep inside, however, was the toasty, cozy cavern of the Time Keeper. Sipping her tea, she tapped her cheek as she gazed into one particular bubble, swirling with future events. As one certain figure began to appear, she turned her face at the sound of someone entering her abode.

"You came," she said at last, setting her cup down and standing.

"_But of course,"_ the harsh voice snickered. _"All future events of Neverland can be seen by only you, Time Keeper…"_

"This is about Peter Pan." It wasn't a question – it was a statement.

"_Tell me how to control these crystals,"_ demanded the dark, misty fairy, the same height as the magical, pure being before him. _"He must be destroyed for what he's done."_

"He's done everyone a great service," Time Keeper sniffed coolly, fixing her sleeves. "He saved his father's soul, he protected Neverland and others in the real world, and he managed to destroy that wicked entity known as Shade."

"_I could have killed my brother on my own if I wanted to, witch!"_ snapped Shadow Dust. _"He can't go around killing us!"_

"Ah yes, dark fairies are rare nowadays, thank Heaven," she smirked, seeing him shudder at the mention of 'Heaven'. "You are wicked beings after all…centuries old…there hasn't been a single dark fairy since the Dark Ages."

"_Our Golden Years,"_ he hissed. _"But no matter. I will change this boy's future for the worst!"_

"Which is precisely why you'll never be able to channel or harness the power of the time crystals," she informed him. "Only I can control them."

"_Unless someone came with their own wish to change the past," _Shadow Dust grinned wickedly.

There was a faint hint of worry in the Time Keeper's eyes. "Peter would never-!"

"_Wouldn't he?"_ chuckled the dark fairy. _"Why don't we find out?"_

Thrusting his arms forward, he shouted a quick spell, a dark stream of mist shooting out from his hands. Swirling around the woman's frame, she managed a gasp before she vanished, imprisoned within a similar looking crystal as the ones she looked after. With a snap of his fingers, Shadow Dust changed form, looking exactly like the Time Keeper. _"Now for a little invitation…"_

**NEVERLAND**

"Can't catch me!" Peter laughed, diving sharply as Jon reached for his back.

Laughter filled the lagoon air as the Lost Children dove and whizzed by, reaching out to grab Peter Pan as he flew away from them and took a daring diving towards the lagoon's surface.

It was a game that Peter had come up with himself - he called it "Switch Tag." Whoever was "it" had to fly away as fast as possible while everyone else chased after him or her. The next person who grabbed "it" became "it" and so it would go on. Even the mermaids stretched out their arms in attempts to grab Peter and claim him for themselves, but he was too quick for them and teased them as he ran his fingers over their scaly tails before shooting up and away from their webbed fingers.

"Gotcha!" Wendy grinned as she curled her fingers around the hem of his coat, tugging on it as she reached to grab his shoulder. She gasped as he spun around suddenly, grinning as he snatched her in his arms and twisted haphazardly in the air. Placing a kiss to her lips, he winked as she blushed.

"Hey! Save the romance for later, bro!" Ruff snickered. "What about the game?!"

"What about it?" Peter smirked. "You're one to talk! You and Vi make out every chance you get!"

"That's different," Violet purred as she wrapped her arms around Ruff's neck from behind, earning a goofy smile from the Indian boy.

"Bubble!" Mouse exclaimed, pointing to the sky as he watched with awe-filled eyes.

"What bubble?" asked Mikey, following his friend's gaze.

Each head turned and was stunned to see a shimmering bubble drifting lazily in the air. However, this bubble drifted with purpose – it came down from the clouds of the mountains, lowering until it floated before Peter. Reaching out, his forefinger merely poked the surface when the image of the Time Keeper appeared.

"Hello, Peter Pan," said the woman with a calm, quaint smile.

"Time Keeper!" the Eternal Youth smiled, placing his fists upon his hips. "What a nice surprise! What's going on in the Northern Shore?"

"Nothing of consequence," she replied coolly, causing Peter to cock his head in curiosity at her words. "I merely wanted to invite you to my caverns."

"Me? What for?" Peter asked, blinking in surprise.

"I have a little gift for you…an offer, really."

Raising an eyebrow, Peter glanced to the others. At once, he saw Wendy's face, her brows furrowing with concern. _"She heard it, too…something about Time Keeper's voice…"_ If the fairies were around, he was sure that Tink would be chiming at him to simply pop that bubble and go home. But Tinker Bell and the fairies were away visiting Kensington Gardens, and if there was something wrong on the Northern Shore, then he wanted to find out what it was and stop it.

"That's very kind of you," Peter said cordially, bowing his head. "Where do I get my gift?"

"You must come to my home," instructed the Fae woman. "Here in the mountains. Surely you can find your way back?"

"I can," Peter nodded. "I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Very well," she smiled coyly, the bubble popping at once, startling the smaller boys.

"What was all that about?" asked Ben, adjusting his glasses as he looked to Peter and Wendy.

"The Time Keeper wants me to visit her in her cavern," Peter said, tapping his cheek in contemplation. "But she didn't seem herself…" Since the event of the "Halloween Incident," Peter was wary of the creature Rory had told him was "Shadow Dust." He was certain that thing was the one in control of all the mishaps that happened to them, but he didn't want to scare the other boys. So, he acted as though it was nothing, entrusting the information to Wendy, Ruff, Violet, Jon, Tiger Lily, and the fairies. He had asked for Kipper to stay quiet about the event and not mention it to Hook – he didn't need the pirate to get on his case about another wicked fairy out for his hide. Now with Timer Keeper's request and her distant, cold behavior, Peter was sure that Shadow Dust was up to something again.

"Peter, please don't go," Wendy pleaded as she placed her hands on his arm. Her blue eyes were filled with fear and concern, and it pained him to have to tell her "no".

"I have to find out what this is about, Wendy," he insisted, gripping her hand in his. With a reassuring smile, he promised, "I'll be back before you know it, I promise!"

"I'll go with you," Ruff started when Peter raised his hand at him in protest.

"No, Ruff – I need you here to be in charge while I travel back to the Northern Shore," he shook his head, giving an apologetic look as his friend frowned and nodded reluctantly.

"What makes you think Ben and I can't be in charge?" Jon asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, we can do!" Ben grinned, clapping Jon's shoulder in agreement.

"We'll be ok, Peter!" Lump nodded. "Ben and Jon make a great team, and you know we work together and we'll protect the girls!"

"Protect yourselves – I can handle myself," Violet smirked.

"I'm not a baby!" Mikey protested, pouting as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I wanna go on an adventure!"

"Perhaps next time," Wendy said, hugging her little brother to her chest.

"Ok then," Peter relented, grinning as he saw Ruff's face light up. "Ruff and I will be back soon. Meantime, Jon and Ben are in charge, but that doesn't mean you can wave off whatever Wendy and Vi say!"

"Yes, sir!" the boys shouted, saluting him.

Chuckling, Peter kissed Wendy's cheek and winked. "See you soon!" Shooting into the clouds, Peter and Ruff raced through the sky, their sights set on the mountains.

Wendy watched them vanish, her stomach in a knot. _"Please be careful…"_

**NEVERLAND**

Buttoning and zipping their coats, the boys soon wished they had brought along their fur capes as they made it to the mountainside. Peter and Ruff flew close together, sometimes bumping into one another as they scanned the white walls of the massive rock for the opening to the Fae woman's cave.

"There!" Ruff shouted, pointing to a soft, glowing hole just a few feet below.

"Grab a hold of my foot!" Peter yelled back, waiting until he felt his friend's hand wrap around his ankle before diving down and tumbling into the tunnel. "Ow," Peter grunted, rubbing the back of his neck. "No wonder the boys complained about traveling up here."

"Yeah," Ruff nodded, his teeth chattering as he saw his own breath materialize before him.

"C'mon," the Eternal Youth urged him, floating up and offering his hand to him. "Let's get inside. They said it gets warmer the further in you get."

The two boys cautiously treaded in through the icy pathway, both of them wary of what to expect. Having voiced his concerns to Ruff on the way to the mountain, Peter was grateful his friend had come with him. His dearly wished, however, that Tinker Bell had come, too.

Finding a set of slippery steps, they entered the cavern, stunned by the vastness and beauty of the woman's home.

"Peter Pan. You made it."

Looking over his shoulder, Peter saw the Time Keeper float towards him, casually holding a crystal, a soft glow emancipating from it. "Hi…Time Keeper," Peter said slowly, observing the woman. She didn't look any different from the last time they met, but something didn't feel right. "Is everything ok?"

"Perfect now that you're here," she smiled slyly. She looked to Ruff and raised an eyebrow. "Brought company?" she sneered

"Yeah, I get a little lonely when I travel to the winter wastelands," Peter snidely remarked, not liking how she was acting towards his friend. Something was definitely up. "Listen, we've got to get going so-"

"Always in a hurry," she shook her head with a sigh. "I have a rather special gift for you. I didn't want you to miss out on it."

"What kind of special gift?" Ruff asked, suspicious as he stepped forward, joining Peter's side.

Sniffing, the Time Keeper arrogantly turned away from the boy. "It's only for Pan, I'm afraid."

"_Pan?!"_ Peter's brows furrowed at this. _"She doesn't call me 'Pan'…"_ "Well, what is it then?"

Motioning for him to step forward, she rubbed the top of the bubble, watching it become brighter than before. "You've proven to be extremely important to all of Neverland, Peter Pan. Whether or not you choose this reward is up to you." With a knowing, slightly unsettling smile, she added, "It could change your life if you chose so."

"Change my life?" Peter repeated, confused.

"I have here a time when you needed help most, a time when you could have used a friend, a sign, a warning…" The crystal arose into the air, expanding with colorful light as pictures began to form a scene took place before them.

Peter's green eyes widened as he immediately recognized who was there. "It's…it's me!"


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Hey everyone, I'm sorry I haven't been on in ages but summer courses do have a priority. However, I'm hoping you'll all be happy with this short chapter for the time being. I hope to have more attention on this story in the next few weeks and hopefully finish it before summer is over for me. I'd like to thank **fischgrl, starfireiris, Danny37boy, **and most of all **TJ Jordan **for his absolutely wonderful reviews. :) I hope you all enjoy this next installment until I can get the next one typed up and posted. Happy Summer to you all, and thanks for your continued interest and support!

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

"It's…it's me!"

It certainly was Peter, but a different Peter Pan that the crystal showed. It was a scene he knew all too well – there he was, twelve years old, the cocky, daring, flying boy with his fairy, stopping at a cemetery as he wept over the loss of a dear friend and estranged, conflicted love interest. There he kneeled before Wendy Darling's grave, asking his beloved, loyal fairy to leave him for a few mere minutes…a few minutes that would change his life forever.

Ruff watched in shock, something wriggling inside his stomach. Peter mentioned and explained what had happened to him when he first came to Neverland, but he never imagined Peter Pan could feel so much grief over the loss of one person, much less a grown-up. Glancing at Peter, he could see the hurt and sadness in his eyes as they viewed the scene.

"What's the deal, lady?!" Ruff snapped, worried for his friend. "Are you trying to get at something useful?"

"Silence, you fool!" she snapped back, startling both boys. Looking to the Eternal Youth, she said, "Peter Pan, I offer you the chance to reach out and warn yourself. I'm sure you know what happens, next, don't you?"

Watching still, Peter's jaw clenched, his brow furrowing as he saw his father, David Fuller, step out and talk to his younger self. Of course he knew what happened next – he would dread the next four years of his life as a captive of Fuller's and the entity that controlled him – Shade. "I know…"

"Don't you want to warn yourself? To stop the pain and suffering you endure? Do you want to be held captive?" she asked, each question prodding into his mind like a knife. The memories of all the anger, the resentment, the determination of his time in captivity flashed before his eyes and he curled his hands into fists. "What about your fairy? Tinker Bell? She suffered as well, didn't she?"

Peter shut his eyes, seeing his dear friend's face. Oh yes, she suffered too – enduring four long years of searching, wondering, worrying, crying, hoping that she would find him again, safe and sound…

"You can stop all that." Time Keeper's voice was a whisper in his ear now, making his eyes snap open. Jerking away from her, he stared hard at her face.

"Why are you offering me this?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You saved Neverland from a terrible fate," she said solemnly, a flicker in her eyes of some menacing emotion barely hidden from him. "I thought it was only proper that you be offered a precious, valuable gift to show our appreciation."

"Why don't you change it?" Peter asked, cocking his head at the Fae woman.

"I would, however…" she paused, glancing at a certain crystal on a nearby desk. "Only you can decide, though. It is up to you if you wish to change your past."

Facing the images once again, Peter could see himself kneeling before his mother and brother's tombstones, his father poised behind him as he unsuspectingly stared at the names on the stones. He knew what would happen next – he would start asking a question when Fuller would pull out a rag drenched in chloroform and kidnap him. Then, his years of imprisonment, despair, and worst of all, growing up, would begin. Seeing his smaller, rounder, childish face with his curly brown hair and random burst of freckles made him stretch out his hand, his fingers uncurling from his fist to touch the light.

Ruff watched him, frozen in fear and hurt. He knew something about this was wrong – this wasn't like Time Keeper! But Peter looked so anxious, so desperate to stop his own suffering. He had saved his life after…

No sooner had Ruff thought the thought, Peter stopped, lowering his hand. "Pete…?"

"Pan, what are you waiting for?" Time Keeper frowned, curling her fingers into fists of frustration.

Lowering his hand, Peter kept his arms to his sides, squeezing his eyes shut as he listened to his younger self give a cry of alarm as Fuller seized him.

"NO!" Time Keeper screeched. "You fool! That's the only chance you'll ever get to save yourself-!"

"And just why would I want to save myself when I've already been saved?" Peter asked coolly, turning around and facing the woman.

The Time Keeper bared her teeth, ready to his back a retort when she saw Peter open his eyes. She gasped, a chill running through her as his emerald orbs began to glow gold.

"Peter?" Ruff whispered, stunned by his friend's behavior. Peter had not used his fairy powers since he destroyed Shade – even if he wanted to, it only happened when he was extremely angry and protective of his friends.

This time, however, Peter did not burst into a raging fit as he had the previous times he was overtaken with his hidden powers. Pointing at the woman, he sent a small jet of gold light at her, glaring as it touched her skin.

She gave a horrid screech, making Ruff wince and cover his ears in pain. "Peter-!"

"Take that orb and crack it open!" Peter ordered, pointing to the crystal on the nearby desk.

Trusting his friend, Ruff flew with incredible speed, snatching the orb and roughly smashing it against the wood of the desk. At once, a blinding light seeped through, the glass melting away as it cracked open. Falling back, Ruff shielded his eyes with his arm, gritting his teeth as it became brighter, warmer…

"Ruff…open your eyes, dear one."

At the sound of the familiar, gentle voice, the Lost Boy did as he was told, cautiously lowering his arm and opening one eye. He gawked in awe at the figure before him. "Time Keeper?! But how-?"

"Come, you'll see shortly," the Fae woman said, taking his arm and flying back to Peter.

Peter had not moved from his place, the crystal that had shown his past now dim and lying on the floor, neglected. His eyes still glowing, he watched at the imposter curled and roared in pain before rearing his ugly head at him.

"So, you must be Shadow Dust," Peter stated, drawing his sword. "'Bout time we met, Wrinkle Nose."

A pair of haunting, furious red eyes stared at Peter angrily, a dark hood hanging over his forehead so that a shadow was cast over his face. His nose was as crooked and wrinkled and a gnarled tree branch, and the thin frowning mouth opened to reveal a set of sharp teeth. _"Yes, Pan…I am Shadow Dust…how very true. It's time we met face to face."_

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," Peter snarled, as feral as a hungry lion.

"_Because I could destroy your little friends…those fairies…Lost Boys…this island…how about that pirate you've formed an alliance with? Or perhaps…"_ The dark creature grinned wickedly. _"Your dear Wendy-"_

A blast of gold magic stabbed through Shadow Dust, a gasp of pain filling him. Doubling over, gasping for breath, he looked up and saw those furious, youthful golden eyes burning down at him…

…and he was afraid.

For the first time in Shadow Dust's long, wicked, miserable life, he was afraid, something he never felt and never thought he would feel…until now.

"If you even _think_ about hurting anyone," hissed Peter, his whole body aglow now. "You'll experience that pain again…times one hundred!" Opening his palm at him, he sent a burst of light at the monster, causing him to dart away, scurrying like a roach from the light. "Get out and don't ever come back!" Peter shouted, blasting more magic his way. "GET OUT!"

Black smoke consumed Shadow Dust's figure and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Ruff blinked, stunned by what he had seen, until he heard Peter growl in frustration. "Pete! Are you ok?" he asked, taking a step towards him. "Snap outta it, bro. It's me, Ruff. Remember?"

Squeezing his eyes shut, Peter remained still for several seconds, slowly blinking his eyes open again. Ruff gave a breath of relief when he saw they were green once more, a dazed look on Peter's face.

"Whoa…I forgot how strong that stuff is," Peter grunted, shaking his head as he rubbed the back of his neck. Looking to Ruff and the Time Keeper, he offered them an impish grin. "Nice to see the real you."

"His visit was expected, it was the attack that took me off guard," the Time Keeper explained, shaking her head in shame as she admitted what happened. "How did you know I was trapped in there?"

"Lucky guess," Peter chuckled. "He kept looking at that orb like he was afraid it was going to roll off the table and shatter."

Ruff grabbed the second orb, the one where Peter had seen himself and his painful memory. "Here," he said gently, giving it to Peter. "You didn't make a choice."

"Yes I did," Peter smiled, turning and giving it to the Fae woman.

Ruff blinked at his actions, utterly confused. "But Pete, you could stop Fuller from taking you-!"

"And then what? He would've found something else to capture me eventually," Peter argued. "Think about it, Ruff. If I changed the past, I never would've found you and the other boys. I never would've made that alliance with Hook and…y'know, gotten friendly and all that."

"Ya mean get a substitute dad?" Ruff smirked.

Peter rolled his eyes and punched his friend's shoulder. "And I never would've met Wendy. It's all a chain reaction. Everything happens for a reason."

"So…you're cool with letting Fuller capture you?" Ruff asked, seeing how it still bothered Peter to this day what happened with his father.

"No, I'm not cool with it…but it all turned out ok in the end, didn't it? Besides, that's exactly what Shadow Dust would've wanted."

Peter jumped at the feeling of his friend's arms, but he froze in place, accepting the gesture as Ruff embraced him.

"…you really are the best, y'know that, Pete?" Ruff said, pulling away. Giving him a grin, he added, "Thanks for doing that…I don't know where we'd be if you never came for us."

"Indeed," the woman spoke up, setting the orb back into its place. "You did the right thing, Peter. The reason Shadow Dust was so eager to get you to change your past yourself is because only those whose memories and past are shown can change them."

"Um, yeah, but ain't you the Time Keeper?" Ruff asked, cocking his head in confusion. "You could change time if you wanted to, couldn't ya?"

"Oh yes, I could," the Fae lady chuckled, patting the boy's shoulder. "But I chose not to. My job is to protect time, memories, past and future events. I am the guardian of all this." She waved her arm at her home, glowing softly from the magic and orbs that lay within. "That is why I am the Time Keeper."

"Make sense," Peter grinned. His smile soon faded, however, when he remembered the shadowy, wicked creature. "Time Keeper…where did that…_thing_ come from?"

She shook her head wearily, placing Peter's orb back where it belonged. "Please, sit," she urged them, bringing a kettle of tea and cookies to the young men. "Make yourselves comfortable. I have quite a story for you…"


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

The smoky, dark being sped through the mountains and darted through the forests and jungles, still weakened and fuming over what just happened. _"He thinks he can threaten me?!" _he hissed, angry with the Eternal Youth. A flicker of memory crossed his mind, Peter's eyes flashing gold at him. For a moment he shivered, but pride soon got the better of him. _"I am the one of the last, if not THE last, dark fairy existing in this miserable universe! I will NOT let a teenaged boy get the best of me!"_

The blast of a cannon caught his attention suddenly, and his slanted red eyes fell upon the innocently floating ship in the bay. The pirates scurried about on deck, taking orders for their drill from the tall, crimson figure at the wheel. A wicked grin began to grow on his thin lips, his fingers flexing in anticipation. _"So long as I am here, Peter Pan, I shall make things extremely different for you, and until you are dead, I shall not stop…"_

**NEVERLAND**

"So who is Shadow Dust?" Peter asked, accepting the mug of tea from the Fae woman.

Settling the kettle down, she sat in her velvet chair before them and sipped her drink calmly, irking Ruff. "…you know about dark fairies, Peter. The fairies in Kensington told you about them while you were still growing as a child. They are wicked, mean-spirited beings, especially in olden times, who dabbled in dark magic because they wanted to be stronger, superior, and were extremely selfish. Some were blissfully ignorant about how to go about to using their powers, only wishing to show off that they were skilled and mightier than other fairies. But some were more dangerous…they were manipulative and calculating…"

Peter and Ruff exchanged glances, waiting for her to continue. With a motion of her hand, the Time Keeper brought a floating bubble to them, tapping the surface once with her finger to activate the images within.

"Dark fairies, as you may or may not know, are able to live for ages because they suck humans' souls out of their bodies, and constantly made bargains with other unsuspecting humans, tricking them and abusing their blind trust at times. In a time known to many humans as 'the Middle Ages,' or even more infamously, 'the Dark Ages,' two dark fairies were born and lived. They were brothers. The eldest was Shadow Dust, while the other…" She showed an image of two dark beings, one of them so familiar that Peter dropped his mug, stunned by the image. "…the youngest brother was Shade."

Ruff's jaw dropped at the news, his face turning to see Peter. He was glad to know he wasn't the only one stunned by this news, for Peter's eyes were wide with shock and disbelief.

"…his brother?" Peter repeated, trying to swallow what he'd heard.

She nodded, waiting for them to regain their senses. With a snap of her fingers, the fallen mug floated to her hand as the stain on the floor vanished. Refilling the cup with tea again, she offered it to Peter, who took it with delayed movements.

"Hold up, TK," Ruff frowned, making a "time-out" motion with his hands. "If they're bros, and Shadow Dust cares so much about Shade, how come he wasn't around when we were fighting him back in the real world?"

"As I was saying, these two dark fairies are powerful but they have different beliefs on how they should go about using and displaying their power," she answered, waving her hand so that the images shifted to the two dark beings quarreling. "They had a feud one day, one in which both their prides were wounded. They vowed never to speak to one another again, and from that day since, they did not associate with one another, melting into the shadows of different parts of the globe as time went on around them. As their people began to die off, Shadow Dust realized it would be wise to keep an eye on his brother. It was not so much that he was concerned for his well-being, rather that he was concerned that Shade would expose himself, thus endangering the few existing dark fairies."

"Touching," Ruff sniffed, earning a small smile from Peter.

"However, at this time, Shade had found himself in an agreement with a magician, and was duped into being trapped. With his powers linked to a book of spells that the magician owned, he could not survive without it. However, what the magician didn't count on was being used as a host by Shade, who still held a significant amount of power, agreement or no."

"Sounds about right," Peter nodded, remembering how they vanished the wicked creature years ago. "But if that's the case, wasn't Shadow Dust concerned?"

"At first, yes, but he realized that the book would also limit his powers, so he considered it to be a sort of punishment for his little brother," the Time Keeper explained, watching look on Shadow Dust's face as he sniffed upon finding out about Shade's situation. They could even hear his voice drift from the bubble. _"He wanted to work with humans, now he works with them…as a servant. He can't survive without a host or that book acting as his anchor. Serves him right."_

"Gee, such affection," Ruff rolled his eyes.

"But it got worse for the dark fairies," Time Keeper informed them. "Little by little, fairies in general were losing their magic, mystique, and power and many began to die…_especially _the dark fairies." When the boys cocked their heads in curiosity, she explained, "There were already so few, and now that the world was advancing and leaning towards science, they were becoming a scarce race. And besides," she added with a wink. "Children only believe in good fairies, after all."

Peter chuckled at her words, sipping his beverage. "True…mothers don't tell their children stories about 'bad' fairies, and even if they do, they usually die at the end. No child likes to believe in dark things creeping around."

"Precisely. For a time, Shadow Dust remained silent. Hidden away from the world, he only went out occasionally from his sanctuaries when he needed to. But one day, he felt a strange sensation within him."

"Indigestion?" Ruff smirked.

"He felt there was something missing…like a part of him had died."

Instantly, it clicked in Peter's mind. "Shade!" he exclaimed suddenly. "He knew that Shade was dead!"

She nodded at him, her eyes serious. "Using his magic, he was able to create a window to see what had happened."

"That can't be good," Ruff grimaced.

"It certainly wasn't. He was furious. His own blood, one of his kind, was destroyed by a child-"

"Teen," Peter corrected with a wry smile. "But who's keeping track?"

Grinning back, she took a moment to sip her tea before continuing. "He vowed his vengeance on you, and it was at this time that he manipulated Rory and brought him and Crystal to the Never-North, enslaving the other creatures that had lived their in peace and isolation since you vanished. He plans to do whatever it takes to kill you, Peter. But he believes in doing it through subtle, indirect methods to show his cunning and power."

"In other words, he's not gonna show up one day and just slice Pete's head off, he'd rather send the Croc on a rampage and have an elaborate plan to kill Peter off by 'accident' or 'coincidence'?" Ruff concluded.

"Very much in that sort of manner," she nodded. "He enjoyed 'breaking and beating spirits', even causing you grief by getting you to indirectly hurt others, in essence, getting you to want to die because of the shame and guilt of your crime."

Peter and Ruff exchanged glances, remembering the Halloween incident that recently took place.

"Even Scarlet Morgan was brought here because of Shade."

"Hold it!" Peter gasped, his attention completely on the woman once more. "You're saying Shadow Dust brought Scarlet here?! I thought she came on her ship using Sapling's dust!"

"Oh, she did," she agreed. "But it was Shadow Dust who found her and filled her head with the idea of coming to exact revenge on you when you didn't come to her window. But she couldn't have known it was his own brother who had imprisoned you and that you were off fighting him afterwards."

"So…she's really _not_ psycho?" Ruff asked, feeling a headache coming on.

"No, Ruff," the Time Keeper shook her head. "It's true she has many emotional issues from her past, but in order to have some hold on her, Shadow Dust cast a sort of spell upon her to constantly have her changing her mind and never trusting anyone."

Peter felt his stomach turn to lead as he listened, his jaw clenched. "…I…I chopped off her arm…I saw her the other day sailing around the island…she's got some sort of artificial arm built now with a sword attached, and she hates my guts…but if she's really not that bad…"

"This is too complicated," Ruff moaned. "What happened to plain old bad guys and that was that? No sob stories or pity parties, just good ol' fashioned fighting and saving the day?"

"That's the fine line between adulthood and childhood, Ruff," winked the Time Keeper. "Peter seems to have made a good balance for himself, however."

"But how can I stop Shadow Dust and get Scarlet to see straight so she won't try going on some killing spree?" asked Peter, stroking his chin in thought as his brows furrowed.

"The time _will_ come, Peter," she reassured him, leaning forth and placing her hand on his shoulder. "You will find a time and place to meet with Scarlet and you will break the spell."

"How?" he asked, confused and feeling slightly overwhelmed.

"I can't tell you," she shook her head. "I've already said too much, and I'm going to add one last thing…Shadow Dust's acts will continue and get worse, and one day, you will have to leave the island, _temporarily_, and go out into the world and seek children who still believe in you."

"I haven't searched all over the globe since I picked up my Lost Boys," Peter protested. "Why do I have to actually find and meet these kids-?"

"Because everything here depends on it," she said firmly, gripping his hand. "Otherwise, Neverland will fall to Shadow Dust, and he will create it into his safe haven for eternity."

"No pressure, right?" Ruff grimaced. Heaving a sigh, he placed his hand on Peter's back and bit his lip. "Look, nobody said dealing with this was gonna be easy, bro, but…no matter what, you know we all got ya back. And in the end, you always win," he finished with a grin.

Peter returned the smile, nodding his head with determination. "Right. If I've beaten a dark fairy before, I can beat another again."

The Time Keeper smiled at this, rising before them. "You will succeed, Peter Pan…I have faith in you."

**NEVERLAND**

It was a relief to get past the mountains and swoop skyward into the sunny cloudbanks. The two boys found the sunshine inviting and crowed as they zoomed towards the sky, breaking the clouds and chasing one another.

"Man, it sure feels good being in the sun again!" Ruff grinned.

"I hear that," Peter chuckled. "Let's head back home, I bet the others are wondering what happened-"

The sound of a woman's shriek and a chilling cackle blended as they stopped in mid-air, their blood freezing within their veins.

"That doesn't sound good," Ruff swallowed.

"It's coming from the _Jolly Roger_! C'mon!" Peter shouted, already sure of himself as he darted off. Slicing the sky, Peter sped towards the pirate ship, his eyes narrowing at the sight of a dark cloud slipping off of the ship's railing and into the water.

"Shadow Dust!" Peter snarled, gnashing his teeth. "Come back here, you coward!"

"Pete, wait!" Ruff called, his eyes glued to the deck of the ship in shock.

Peter followed the monster at full force, his dagger drawn and ready when he crashed underwater, the foreboding darkness seemingly vanishing from sight. Swimming back up, he broke his head above the surface and gulped sweet air. "Damn!" he cursed.

"Pete! You're not going to believe this!" he could hear Ruff shout.

Grunting in frustration, he floated out of the water, gave a great shake, and flew to the ship. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Christine covering her mouth as she gaped wide-eyed at a small figure. Mr. Smee stood close by, just as shocked, while all the men gaped from the perches. "Ruff, Smee, Chris, what's going-?"

"What're _you _lookin' at, you nincompoops?!"

The youthful, commanding voice startled Peter, causing him to cast his gaze upon the figure on the ship. "Who're you?!" shouted Peter. "And where's Hook?"

Spinning around, the figure faced Peter. He was a child of no more than ten years old, dressed smartly in an Eton schoolboy uniform. He scowled at Peter with his forget-me-not blue eyes, his curly black hair cut short though a few stray curls fell over his forehead. He had two hands, no hook, but there was no mistaking that attitude and tone of voice.

"_I'm_ James Hook, idiot! And I'll have you know-!" He stopped, his jaw dropping upon seeing Peter airborne. Peter, meanwhile, felt his own jaw drop at the sight and news of a miniature Hook. "Brimstone and gall! What sorcery is _this_?!"

Looking to Ruff, Smee grimaced. "The Cap'n's not going to like this when he changes back."

"_If_ he changes back," Ruff whispered, fearing the worst. How in Neverland were they going to change Hook back into a grown-up?!

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks so much for your continued support and reviews! I hope you all enjoyed this one. Please don't forget to let me know what you think and I'll see you all next time! :)


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Peter landed lightly, cautiously, on the deck before young James Hook, feeling strange that he was actually taller than his foe turned ally.

"How do you _do_ that?!" Hook gaped, absolutely stunned by Peter.

"Do what?" Peter asked, still miffed by what was happening.

"You were flying just now!" Hook said, raising an eyebrow in interest.

"I've always been able to do that," Peter answered, staring into the boy's eyes. "…you…don't remember anything…do you?"

"I remember getting ready for a game of cricket with my mates when all of a sudden I was standing here on…" He paused, taking a moment to look at his surroundings. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the ship, the pirates all staring at him with a mix of bewilderment, awe, and suspicion. "_Pirates_?!" Hook whispered, a slight grin forming on his lips. "Smashing!" Looking past the men, he gazed at the island, lush and beckoning to him. "What is this place?"

"Neverland," Peter answered softly, taking in the child's reactions. "It's a place where you never grow old…"

"Marvelous," Hook commented. Turning once again, he caught sight of Ruff, Smee, and Christine. "You've got natives on the island?" little Hook asked, thinking Ruff to be one of the tribesmen from the tepees he saw in the distance.

"Yes, but he's not one of them," Peter chuckled, smirking as Ruff glared at the boy.

"I'm a Lost Boy, second in command to Peter Pan himself, Hook!" he snapped at the child.

Hook, unfazed, raised an eyebrow at him. "Lost Boy? What's that? And who's Peter Pan?"

"_I'm_ Peter Pan," Peter answered, offering him a bow with a playful grin. "The Lost Boys are my men. We have lots of adventures."

"I see," Hook nodded, bowing back as he pursed his lips in thought. "You live on the pirate ship, then?"

"No, their leader is…uh…out at the moment," Peter quickly answered. "We live in the woods. "But while the pirate captain's gone, Bosun Smee and Lady Seaworth are in charge." He waved to the two of them, giving them a look as so they might understand to play along with his story.

"Erm, g'day, Master Hook," Smee said, trying to smile as he swiped his cap off of his head and gave a low bow. "I'm at yer service."

"Brilliant!" Hook grinned, his eyes sparkling. Raising his gaze, he was frozen in shock at the sight of Christine, who gave him a sad smile as she struggled to smile. "…you're…Lady Seaworth?"

"Uh…y-es…Yes, I am…it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Hook," she said with some difficulty, her heart aching as she curtsied. She couldn't help emitting a gasp when the boy who was her husband boldly snatched her hand, bowed to her, and planted a kiss on the back of her hand.

"Enchanted, mademoiselle," he said, his eyes locking with hers. "James Hook, at your service."

This did not escape anyone's notice. Peter and Ruff exchanged glances, slight smirks on their faces as they realized Hook cred for Christine, no matter what his age.

"Hey! Peter!" A chorus of young voices rang out, startling everyone.

"_Peter!"_ chimed another voice, a ball of green light zooming through the air towards them.

"Tink! Boys!" Peter cried, not able to stop the smile on his face.

Tinker Bell, Blue Falls, Flameburst, and Sapling beat the Lost Children to Peter, and upon seeing a shrunken Hook child they were immediately on edge.

"_Peter! What happened?!" _Blue Falls demanded.

"_We go away for a few hours and we find Hook changed into a baby!" _Tinker Bell fumed as Sapling and Flameburst strove to calm her.

"Fairies?!" Hook gasped, staring at them in awe.

"Peter!" Wendy shouted, landing on the deck with the boys. Wrapping her arms around him, he couldn't help but smile and return the gesture. "Thank goodness you're all right. We didn't hear back from you and then there was that scream and that horrible laughter and then…" She paused, seeing Hook now looking at her. Her eyes widened at this. "Oh my…is that-?"

"What happened here? Who's he?!" Partly asked, pointing at Hook.

"QUIET!" Peter shouted, covering his ears in frustration, his eyes squeezed shut. "I can't think with everyone shouting and asking at once!"

No one spoke, took a breath, or batted an eyelash for the few seconds Peter took to clear his mind. Straightening himself, he motioned for the boys and fairies to huddle with him as he whispered what had happened in the past few moments.

"What's so big of a secret that I can't partake in it?!" little Hook demanded, his eyes flashing from blue to red in seconds.

"Nothing, Cap-I, I mean, Master Hook!" Smee stammered, smiling innocently. "They're just being silly is all!"

"James…I mean, Mr. Hook," Christine started, blushing as he turned to look at her with shy eyes, fixing his tie.

"Oh, you may call me James…or Jimmy. Only my friends call me that," he told her, though she had to give a wry smile at the memory of him telling her ages ago that he had very few friends in school.

"Very well, Jimmy," she said, catching a few snickers from the men. Casting them a death glare, which shut them up at once, she returned her attention to her now-youthful husband and said, "Perhaps we should set up a room for you…until you're able to go home."

"Good idea."

Looking past Hook, Christine saw the Lost Children split from their group as Peter came forth. "I'm going into the island to see if I can find Shadow Dust," he explained. "Keep him here until I can figure out what to do."

"I don't want to stay here!" Hook snapped, pointing a finger accusingly at Peter. "I don't know what's going on, but you can't force me to stay here! I want to go and have adventures, too! And no one's going to stop me!"

"Oh really?" Peter chuckled, raising an eyebrow at him. Looking to Christine and Smee, he saw how they grimaced, unable to flat out say to the boy that he was actually a grown-up and that he could be in grave danger…at any rate, they didn't believe that he would believe or care. "Mr. Smee…Kipper…how about you join us for our adventures?" Peter said, calling out to the bosun and the cabin boy.

Christine gave them all grateful looks, to which the two pirates responded, "Aye, aye!"

"What do we need them for?" Skipper whispered to the others.

"Ta keep an eye on Hook in case he runs away!" Lump answered quietly.

"Then we'll need fairy dust," Peter said.

The fairies took their cue from him, sprinkling the three figures from head to toe with the magical dust. "Think lovely thoughts," Peter instructed the boy. "Wriggle your shoulders a bit, and let go! Ruff, you grab Kipper. Ben, Jon, you help Mr. Smee."

Hook followed Peter's instructions, giving a whoop as he shot into the sky, laughing in delight. "Smashing!"

"Don't worry," Violet whispered to her ex-teacher. "If anyone can fix this, it'll be Peter."

"I hope so, Violet," Christine whispered back, watching the others leave. Tears formed in her eyes but she would not let them fall before the crew. Until little Jimmy became Hook once more, she was in charge. Turning to the men, she called out, "All right, men! Head for the starboard to the mouth of the bay. We'll be waiting there for the captain's return."

The men obliged, just as loyal to their mistress as they were to their captain. Following orders, they hoped that this situation would be resolved shortly. If Scarlet Morgan caught sight of Hook missing, who knew what she would do…?

**NEVERLAND**

Swooping over the treetops, the Lost Children, fairies, and pirates made their way towards the mermaids' lagoon.

"This place is unbelievable!" Hook cried, still elated that he could fly. His eyes widened upon seeing the mermaids. "Real she-fish!"

"Yeah, listen, don't get too close," Peter advised him with a wry smile.

"They have a tendency to try and drown anyone who's not Peter Pan," the Twins explained, causing Hook to gape at them in disbelief.

"Trust me, we know from experience," Len added as Mouse nodded in agreement.

"How horrid," Hook noted, following the boys and landing just a stone throw's away from the beach.

"Who'd've thought we'd be babysittin' the Cap'n?" whispered Kipper to Smee, receiving a slap on the arm.

"Watch yerself, matey," Smee shushed him. "Don't let the Cap'n hear ya say that."

Just down the path from the lagoon was a set of hills sheltering the mermaids from the jungle that sprouted behind the landscape. Hook squinted, thinking he saw figures moving along the curves and peaks of the structures. "Are there animals that live here?"

"Some rabbits, foxes, squirrels…occasionally a bear will pass through," Jon informed him.

"There's caves, too!" Mikey grinned. "Lots of caves! Some of them have tunnels and slides made by gnomes and others go on for miles, and some have buried treasure!"

It was as though he had spoken the magic words.

"Then let's explore!" Hook declared, grinning in excitement.

"If you're going into the caves, you'd best team up in small groups," Wendy told them.

"Aye! Right you are, Ms. Wendy!" Smee wholeheartedly agreed. "Me n' Kipper will stick with Ca-, er, Master Hook!"

Hook raised an eyebrow at this, but he shrugged it off. He simply assumed they wanted to serve him since he was their guest, so he did not turn down the suggestion. "Very well…but only if he comes along," he demanded, pointing at Peter.

Peter blinked, startled by the command, but quickly agreed. If Shadow Dust was lurking, he was going to stick with Hook until a cure was found to revert him back.

The boys quickly decided who they would stay with, the girls deciding they would take this time to speak with Conch.

"You will keep an eye on them, won't you?" Wendy pleaded the fairies, to which they immediately agreed. Tinker Bell fluttered to Peter's side, determined to find out what had happened since she left, as well as keep an eye on her human.

Taking off in separate directions, they boys waved their farewells until they met again within the hour or so.

"_You met with the Time Keeper, but it wasn't really her, it was Shadow Dust, and you rescued Time Keeper, and she said you would have to battle Shadow Dust in the future and have to venture out into the real world?" _Tinker Bell asked, absolutely miffed.

"That's about it," Peter nodded, leading the others into the cave.

"What's she's saying?" Hook asked, cocking his head suspiciously at the fairy.

With a slight sneer, she tinkled something back to which Peter rolled his eyes. "She's says it's going to be very exciting," he lied, refusing to translate the correct message: "He's just as insufferable as a child!"

Stepping onto the cave, the pirates, boys, and fairy snatched a forlorn branch and set it ablaze.

"_What do you need THAT for?!" _fumed Tinker Bell. _"My light will be just enough for this little escapade of yours!" _

"Do we even want to know what she said?" asked Kipper, noting how the little elfin creature turned a furious shade of crimson.

"She's just jealous she's got to share the 'spotlight,'" Peter smirked, earning a few chuckles from the men while he earned himself a sharp tug on the ear from Tinker Bell.

"Do you know which tunnel takes us to any buried treasure?" Hook asked, his eyes scanning the shadowy walls.

Looking about, Peter pursed his lips, struggling to recall if this cave even had any treasure hidden within when a cry from the boy Hook caught his attention. "Hook!" he cried, seeing him suddenly vanish.

"CAP'N!" Smee yelped, petrified for his leader.

"Looks like he found the sliding tunnels," Peter noted, jumping after him without a second thought. As he slipped through the passageways, he was relieved to hear James Hook laughing gleefully, enjoying the little trip. Grinning, he tucked his arms into his chest, accelerating closer to the boy.

"Wait for us!" Kipper's voice echoed from above, the young man's body coming into view as he tumbled down after them. Just a few seconds behind was Smee, holding the torch precariously, and Tinker Bell, who glanced about the caves with a sudden, suspicious air.

This did not escape Peter's notice, however, the several splits and turns of the tunnel up ahead did. Thus, when the group yelped as they were separated, Peter was too late to stop it. Tinker Bell crashed into Smee's head, the two of them tumbling and slipping down the slide until they shot out of the caves and into a sunny patch of grass.

"Thank goodness we made it outside!" Mr. Smee gasped, wiping the sweat from his brow. The torch was practically extinguished from their little escapade, causing him to sigh. "Oh well, at least the Cap'n-"

Tinker Bell chimed frantically, pointing to the caves. That's when he realized something hanging just off the side of the entrance to the cave through which they had shot out from.

A lone marker, a scarlet-hued flag, hung by the wall, an hourglass sewn onto the fabric.

**NEVERLAND**

"Gotcha!" Peter crowed, catching Hook as they shot into the air from the slide.

"Smashing!" Hook laughed, grinning as he hopped onto Peter's back. "This is incredible!"

"HELLLLP!" Kipper yelped, flying off of the slide at a fierce velocity.

Hook watched in awe as Peter swiftly moved out of harm's way just in time to catch Kipper before they collided.

"Well, that was fun, huh?" Peter chuckled, setting the pirate on the floor. Kipper groaned, struggling to see straight.

"Sure, now what?" Kipper grunted, wobbling on his feet.

"Now we finish what you started."

The new voice made Peter stop in his tracks, his eyes widening in surprise and worry. The snap and hiss of a match filled the air, a sudden spark of flame causing them to wince and blink in the darkness. Two figures stood before them, one of them containing the flickering match, the other owning a sword for an arm. A wicked grin and a gleam of blackness in her eyes made Peter's brows furrow, causing him to stand protectively in front of the pirate-turned-child.

"Hello, Peter Pan," sneered Scarlet Morgan, her metal appendage shining menacingly in the weak light. "Miss me?"

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you to **AMaysBrain and TJ Jordan** for your reviews :) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll get back with more as soon as I can. Please let me know what you thought of it and if you haven't voted who is your favorite couple on my profile, be sure to do so! 'Til next time! (PS - I only own the OCs and crazy plots)


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Scarlet," Peter said, his voice low and firm, his eyes blazing as he watched her every move.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," she snickered, showing off her limb. "Like my new arm? Had to find something decent after you chopped it off."

Starting at the elbow of her left arm, she had a wooden arm with intricate metal designs, stopping at the stump where a wrist should have been. Instead, a shining blade had been attached, polished and ready for battle.

"What're you doing down here?" Peter demanded, hoping that if he distracted her long enough Kipper and Hook could get away.

"I followed you," she smirked. "Waited to see which cave you chose and went in after you through another route. I was hoping Hook would be with you, but…" She noticed the dark-haired boy behind Peter, seeing how he glared defiantly at her with his forget-me-not eyes. "…I see he's unfit for battle. Looks like the Master did a good job of shrinking him." She cackled cruelly at this, causing her bosun Maggie to wince. The older woman gave Peter a desperate look, and he finally noticed how dark and shining the girl's eyes were. They weren't the usual hazel brown – rather, they were black now, a flicker of red coming and going every so often.

"Where's Shadow Dust, Scarlet?" Peter asked. "What does he want? And why did he change Hook into a kid?"

"What are you talking about?" the boy Hook whispered, only to be hushed by Kipper, who also kept a wary eye on the females. Looking to the cabin boy, Hook asked, "Am I supposed to be something…or someone…else?"

Kipper bit his tongue, hating the look on Hook's face. He was only a child now, and utterly confused about what was going on with all this. "…you're captain of the ship…you were…different a while ago before this thing cast a spell on you."

"But that's impossible!" Hook insisted, stopping when he heard a harsh laugh.

"Oh no, nothing is impossible here, James Hook," sneered the female pirate. "Not even your demise!" Lunging forth, Scarlet snarled as she pointed the blade at Peter.

"MOVE!" Peter commanded, shoving the pirate and child out of the way before leaping into the air and hopping over the girl's head. _"I've got to get her away from the others!"_ Looking around, his mind racing, he found another opening within the cavern and ran for it. "C'mon and get me!" he taunted Scarlet, relieved as she began to chase him. His relief turned to panic when he saw her only hand pull out a pistol and aim for him.

"PETER!" Kipper and Hook shouted together, just as Smee and Tinker Bell fell into the area off the slide.

"_Peter, look out!"_ Tinker Bell shrieked.

Everything seemed to speed up and slow down all at once. Peter remembered looking back, seeing her pull the trigger just as he hit the floor, letting the bullet fly overhead. He heard the shot, and the tiny ball of metal collide with the wall of the tunnel he had escaped into. Pebbles were dislodged from their places, raining down on them when a tremor seemed to shake the entire structure. As larger rocks fell overhead, he remembered seeing the pirate girl stuck in her place, her eyes huge with fear and bewilderment. Acting fast, he leapt to his feet, flew to her, and snatched her arm, yanking her out of harm's way as a rather large boulder came down, blocking their way out. In pulling her away, Peter fell backwards, hitting his head as he went down. The last thing he heard was Tinker Bell's panicked chimes as his world temporarily went black.

**NEVERLAND**

"She says we've got to find gnomes," Mr. Smee translated once the dust had settled and the rumbling had stopped. Tinker Bell was chiming on like there was no tomorrow, flitting around the room as if she were a ball of furious fire escaped from the heavens.

"What on earth for?" Hook asked, watching her fly around.

"She says they can dig through the rubble without upsetting anything and making it worse," Smee explained.

"Oh dear, oh dear!" Maggie wailed, her head in her hands. "I was supposed to take care of Scarlet! If she's been harmed-!"

At this, another burst of bells came from Tinker Bell, now fuming at the woman.

"She's saying some…er, very nasty things-oh, hush up!" Smee snapped at the fairy.

"You don't understand! I was employed by Scarlet's parents when she ran off to keep an eye on her! She has her issues, it's true, but I've come to care for the girl. Just today when she woke up, I went to her cabin in time to see this terrible smoke figure touch her and vanish. That's when I saw her eyes…he's done something to her…that _thing _she calls 'Master'." She shuddered, her eyes tearing up. "Oh, what am I to do?!"

"There, there, now," Smee cooed, patting her back in an effort to calm her. "We'll get 'em outta there."

"If there's one person who can get out of sticky situations, it's Peter Pan," Kipper agreed.

"But what about me?"

Hook's voice caught their attention, the group finally turning to face him. His face showed fear and worry, something normal for a child but not for Captain Hook. "If I'm not supposed to be like this…then what am I supposed to be? What'll happen to me? And Lady Seaworth…does she know about this…?" Kipper nodded, deciding to hold back the little detail that they were actually married.

Smee listened to Tinker Bell and nodded. "Not ta worry, Cap'n," Smee said, patting the boy's head. "We'll figure it out. But first things first – Ms. Bell says we need to find the gnomes."

"Maybe I could be of some assistance."

Spinning around, the group gaped to see a glowing blue and white figure, grinning impishly at them. "I was just passing through when I heard the commotion and thought I'd check it out. Need a hand?"

**NEVERLAND**

Peter emitted a grunt as he felt his eyelids flutter open. His body was in pain, especially the back of his head and neck. Reaching up to touch his scalp, he stopped at the feeling of a pointed, sharp object aimed at his arm. Fully alert now, he slowly turned his head, catching sight of two shining, furious orbs in the dark.

"Nice to see you're alive, Scarlet," he grumbled.

"Shut up! I'm going to gut you like I should have the first day I saw you!" she hissed, her eyes flashing from black to red constantly.

Gazing at her through the dark, he slowly sat up, cautious of the blade, and stared at her. "…do you know why I didn't go to your window?" he asked softly.

She blinked, startled by the question. "…what do you mean? What's this about?"

"Many years ago, I went to visit a friend named Wendy…but I was too late. I went to the cemetery to see her, but I was captured by a man who called himself my father."

"That's a load of crap!" she hissed. "I know the story – you ran away from home when you were still a baby! There's no way it could've been your father!"

"It _was_ my father," Peter calmly insisted. "He had been possessed by a dark fairy called Shade." He noticed how the black and red hues in Scarlet's eyes flickered, occasionally showing her true colors. "Shade was Shadow Dust's little brother…after keeping me locked away for about four years, I was finally able to escape and return to Neverland before he could destroy it. I went to America some years later because I wanted to follow a girl I'd been watching in London."

"Wendy," Scarlet whispered.

He nodded. "But I also found that Shade made it there too. He planned to take me back again, and we fought…I won, with the help of my friends, and destroyed him." Scarlet shivered at this, a light mist coming off of her, though no one could tell in the darkness. "Shadow Dust found out and wants me dead for killing his brother…so he found you and decided to use you as a pawn…I'm sorry I cut off your arm." He spoken gently, touching the wrist of her artificial arm with his fingertips. "I didn't know about all this until today…Shadow Dust still controls you. You've got to be free of him. Break free of his control!"

She was shaking now, gripping her forehead with her right hand. "My head…it's pounding! What's-what's wrong with me?!" A gasp escaped her lips as she felt an invisible force curling around her. "I…I can't br-!" She gagged, choking on her own breath and saliva.

"Scarlet!" Peter cried, leaping to his feet. He sensed it at once – a cold, stifling air that consumed the girl, the same sensation he got when he was near Rory. _"Shadow Dust wants to kill her!" _he realized with horror. Fury filled him, sparking a warm sensation through his veins. Recognizing it, he shut his eyes and allowed it to fill him. When his eyes burst open, they glowed gold, filling the room with a bright light.

"_You can't stop me!"_ Shadow Dust's voice came out, strangled and weak, unaccustomed to having a victim fight back as much as Scarlet was.

Reaching out, Peter grabbed the girl's shoulders, a smirk stretching upon his lips. "Watch me." Willing it so, the golden warmth that filled him began to slip through him and into Scarlet, causing the girl to emit a screech as the fairy powers Peter obtained eradicated Shadow Dust's hold on the young woman.

"You may have won this round, but you can't change Hook back," the wicked voice screeched as it began to vanish around them. _"Not if you want to be responsible for having a child grow up…!"_

Just as suddenly as it had begun, it finished. Scarlet slumped forward, falling into Peter's arms. Closing his eyes, Peter waited for his anger to subdue until the warmth stopped and remained still within his being. Opening his now green eyes, Peter stumbled, falling back onto the floor from his weakness and Scarlet's weight. "Ugh," he groaned, leaning against the cavern wall for support.

"…P-…Peter…?"

Opening his eyes once more, he glanced down and sensed that the girl was awake. "…how do you feel?"

"Like I just puked breakfast, lunch, and dinner out at the same time," she moaned, clutching her stomach. Resting against his frame, she felt her eyes beginning to tear up. "…you saved me."

"You fought back against him," Peter interrupted.

"All that time you were talking and explaining what happened…I could feel him cringing and cursing at you…it was the truth…and he was angry that you were getting to me…but he was busy doing something else, which is why his hold on me just now wasn't so strong…that, and he really as weak."

"We kinda ran into each other earlier today," Peter explained, getting to his feet before helping her up as well. Slipping his hands into the little pouch he carried on his belt, he threw fairy dust over himself, focusing on what he wanted to do. Seconds later, he glowed just as brightly as a fairy, illuminating the entire enclosed cavern. Stepping forth, Peter placed his hand against the wall of rubble and frowned.

"We're trapped, aren't we?" Scarlet asked, heaving a tired sigh.

"Well, I guess we are, but that's not what's bugging me," he said, motioning for her to join him. "C'mere."

She did so, placing her hand on the rocks when she quickly withdrew. "They're freezing!" she gasped. "But how is that-?"

"Move back," Peter ordered her.

She did so, watching in confusion, quickly turning to awe, when she saw ice swiftly coat the rocks and spread over the entire wall. But it didn't stop there – it spread all around them, covering the room with frost so much that the temperature dropped immediately and caused them to see their breath materialize before them.

"What's happening?!" Scarlet gasped, watching as the wall suddenly began to crack.

"We're being rescued," Peter grinned.

The frozen wall seemed to have been hit by a strong force on the other side, crumbling before them in an instant. As the particles settled, a figure stepped into the room with them, a broad smile on his pale face.

"Can't stay out of trouble for a day with me gone huh?" asked Jack Frost as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall.

"May I remind you that _I _saved _you_ not too long ago?" Peter chuckled, punching the boy on his shoulder.

"Who's he?" Scarlet asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'm insulted," mocked Jack, pouting as he placed his hand over his heart. "You'd think people would be able to recognize Jack Frost when they saw him." Smirking, he cocked his head at her. "At any rate, aren't you two supposed to be enemies?"

"It's a long story," Peter said, looking out into the next room. "Where're the others?"

"Told them to wait up at the entrance where it'd be safer. Besides, we weren't sure what to expect."

Stepping out of their prison, Peter and Scarlet joined Jack where the slide ended. "Now what?" she asked, frowning in dismay.

Peter and Jack each took hold of one of her arms, floating into the air. Cautiously, they flew through the tunnel, taking each turn as carefully as possible.

"So…you worked it all out?" Jack asked, still uncertain about how calm they were with one another.

Raising her eyes, she looked at the Eternal Youth. "…I'm still angry about you chopping off my arm," she said firmly, her jaw set as she spoke with him. "…but I understand why you did it. I still have a lot to learn about this new Neverland. So…I guess we could call a truce for the time being?"

"Deal," Peter nodded, a smile forming on his lips at this.

Arriving at the entrance, they landed and were instantly attacked by the others.

"Oh, Scarlet!" Maggie exclaimed, embracing the girl. "I was so worried!"

"I'm ok, Maggie," Scarlet smiled, wincing somewhat as the old woman embraced her tightly. "Um, I kinda can't breathe."

Pulling away, she stumbled, still adjusting to standing on her own when she felt someone steady her from behind.

"Easy," Kipper said, helping her up. "Are you all right?" He stopped, unable to keep from staring at the girl. She really was quite beautiful when she wasn't trying to kill anyone…

Scarlet couldn't stop the blush on her face as she accepted Kipper's help. "…thanks."

"Easy, Tink!" Peter chuckled as his fairy attacked him with kisses and a rather long scolding. "Well, I'm very sorry I made you worry, but we've worked it out for the time being."

"Y'have?" Smee asked, stunned.

"What happened?" Hook asked, looking from Peter to Scarlet and back. "You didn't kill one another?"

Peter shook his head, laughing as he ruffled Hook's hair. "No, I don't think we'll be doing that, not for now anyways."

Exiting the caves, Peter, Tink, and Hook watched in amusement and interest as Maggie and Smee whispered their goodbyes and who knows what else. Kipper and Scarlet, in turn, also seemed shy and wistful, separating at last.

"What'll we do now with the Cap'n?" Smee asked gently, looking down at the boy.

Peter couldn't help remembering what Shadow Dust had told him before he was exorcised from Scarlet. There was only one way he could think of to get Hook back to normal, and he had sworn as a twelve-year-old boy eons ago that he would never use this technique upon any child or any person for that matter. But as he looked at the boy before him and thought of his wife and crew waiting for him back on the _Jolly Roger_, he knew that he had no choice.

"Wait for the others to return to the lagoon. We'll head back to the ship together…I think I know what's got to be done."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm on a roll ^_^ Thought I'd post this next one I just finished. Hope you all enjoyed it and please don't forget to leave a review! See you next time!


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **Hi everyone! Thanks for the comments and for being so patient. I'm basically living only for school (college courses and teaching hours are a real pain but I need and love them at the same time). I'm heading off to sleep but I've been working little by little on this chapter and I think I've kept you all waiting long enough. I don't know when there will be another chapter, but please don't give up on me or this story. Thanks again to you all and don't forget to let me know what you think of the chapter! Later gators!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

"Pan and the Cap'n are coming back, portside, milady!" the lookout shouted to Christine, who jumped at the news of Hook's return.

"Is he-?" she started to ask, her heart aching as she saw that her husband was still trapped in his childish form.

The children landed on the deck of the ship in unison, with the two pirates and Jack Frost in tow.

"G'evening, milady," Smee greeted her, offering a bright smile. "Pan says he thinks he's found a way ta get the Cap'n back!"

Averting her eyes to Peter, she stared at him in worry and hope. "Can you…?" Looking to the boy who was her husband, she felt her stomach twist as he looked up at her.

"…I'm supposed to be bigger, right?" he asked quietly, his heart thumping rapidly for some reason unknown to him. "I'm supposed to be older…"

She nodded at him, gripping her ruby ring which she never took off. "Yes, James. You're supposed to be grown-up."

Gazing at her for a moment, the boy slowly looked over his shoulder and faced Peter Pan. "Change me back," he said, gentle and commanding all at once. "I can't be a boy anymore."

Peter looked away, squeezing his eyes shut as he curled his hands tightly into fists.

"Pete…" Ruff whispered, knowing what he was thinking off.

"You don't have to do this," Jack said gently.

"_Peter, you promised-!"_ Tinker Bell chimed.

"I know," Peter said to them all, inhaling deeply. Sighing as though a great weight lay on his shoulders, he said, "…I've got to do this. It's the right thing to do."

"What on earth is he talking about?" Wendy whispered to Ruff, utterly lost.

"Just watch," the boy answered, keeping his eyes on his leader.

Stepping forth, Peter knelt before the boy Hook and placed his hands upon his shoulders. They stared each other in the eyes for a moment, as if saying good-bye to one another.

"Let's play a game," Peter spoke, forcing a smile onto his lips.

Everyone gawked at him, stunned. Christine frowned, uncertain of what this meant, but said nothing.

"A game?" Hook repeated, startled.

"That's right," Peter nodded, slipping his scarlet coat off of his frame. Taking the article of clothing, he placed it over the boy's shoulders and helped him slip his arms through the sleeves. "We'll play pirates! You're the fearsome Captain Hook and I'm you're enemy, Peter Pan."

The Lost Boys and pirates exchanged glances, raising eyebrows and staring at the two boys.

Snatching a sword from a nearby buccaneer, Peter handed it over to Hook, smirking. "You _can_ use a sword, can't you?"

"Don't insult me!" Hook snapped, yanking the blade from his hand. Grinning impishly, he informed him, "I'm top of my class when it comes to sword-play!"

"Then prepare to meet your match!" Peter laughed, drawing his own sword forth.

The two of them twirled around the deck, their blades colliding musically with one another as the others steered clear of them. The red coat flapped around Hook as he spun to face off Pan.

"If you're really 'Hook,' then you ought to know that you've only got your left hand," Peter informed him. "Unless, you can't handle fighting with one hand missing-"

"Ha!" he snickered, curling his right hand into a fist with his forefinger curved like a hook. "This is mere child's play! I could beat you in my sleep! If I was a few inches taller-!"

"You'd still be a codfish!" Peter smirked, seeing how the boy's face became a furious shade of red. "I'll bet if you grew up, you'd make a terrible pirate. Speaking of which, what would you be if you ever grew up?"

"When I grow up, I'll be Captain James Hook, terror of the seven seas!" the boy snarled in response, lunging forth at him. "And you'll be flying away for your life!"

As he spoke these words, continuing to fight, he did not see what everyone else was noticing. With each turn and twist, his hair grew longer, midnight curls framing his now angular face, a moustache sprouting just above his lip. The coat became less loose and began to fit his body perfectly.

"James," Christine breathed, her eyes widening and filling with tears upon seeing the transformation.

With a sudden deft movement, his right hand sliced the air, his hand gone, now replaced with an iron hook. It sliced through Peter's leaf tunic and yanked him into the air as he held him aloft.

The boys immediately got defensive, drawing their weapons out upon seeing how Peter was treated. "Get ready," Ruff ordered them.

"Peter!" both Wendy and Tinker Bell cried, fear gripping their hearts.

Peter hung by the hook, watching the now grown man with his sad green eyes.

Hook glared at him, his forget-me-not orbs a steely blue hue. "Pan…what took you so long?!" Lowering his arm, he allowed Peter to place his feet upon the deck of his ship before removing his hook from Peter's tunic and offering a wry smile. "I thought you promised never to use that trick anymore."

"I had no choice," Peter whispered, his voice strained as he choked out the words.

Hook saw the pain in the boy's eyes and felt a needle prick his own heart. Many moons ago, he would have given anything to see Peter with this horrible look on his face, knowing that he had broken a promise. Now, all he felt was sympathy and gratitude. "…c'mere, boy." Not waiting for a response, he wrapped his arms around the teenager and embraced him tightly, his lips twitching into a smile when he felt Peter's arms wrap themselves around his chest. "Thank you, Peter. I know I made you do something you didn't want to do…but thank you."

Pirates and children crowded around, amazed by the spectacle and excited that the boy had changed back into a man.

"James," Christine whispered, reaching out to touch him.

Sensing her, Peter pulled away from Hook and jerked his head in the woman's direction, forcing a smirk onto his face. Following his gaze, Hook's eyes lit up when he saw his wife opening her arms to him. "Christine!" Lunging forth, he caught her in his embrace and spun her around before claiming her mouth, missing the taste of her lips and tongue.

"Oh, James, I thought I'd never see you again!" she cried, hugging him tightly. Looking to the green-clad boy, she gave him a teary smile and whispered, "Thank you, Peter."

Bobbing his head as a sign of understanding, he began moving away when Hook called out to him. "Pan!"

Peter stopped, glancing over his shoulder at the pirate. "You should take the coat back now," Hook said, ready to surrender it.

Raising his hand, Peter motioned for him to stop. "Keep it. Red's not really my color anyways," he winked, grinning brightly. Floating off of the ship, he shouted, "C'mon Lost Boys! Back to the Underground House!"

The cheering children took to the air, following his lead.

"If anything happens, shout for me!" Peter told the pirates, who roared their approval and even fired Long Tom in a salute to him. Crowing at the top of his lungs, Peter mockingly saluted them back and led his troop away.

"Peter, that was amazing!" Wendy said, coming to his side. "You got Hook back to how he was! But how…?" She paused, seeing how his eyes darkened. "Oh…I'm sorry. Forget about-"  
"No, it's best if you know, Wendy," he replied, diving into the trees of the NeverWoods. Turing his head, he called out, "Jack, you sticking around for dinner?"

"If you'll have me," the frosty-haired boy winked.

"You're more than welcome to stay," Wendy nodded.

Jack gave her a thankful smile before turning his attention to Mikey and Mouse, blowing out snowflakes for their amusement.

They flew the rest of the way in silence, passing the trees and dodging birds that travelled through. Wendy couldn't help but sense that changing Hook bothered Peter more than he wanted to lead on. Though curiosity nibbled at her tongue and she received many glances from Violet, she shook her head and swallowed her questions…

"Wendy."

"Huh?" She blinked stupidly, startled by Peter's voice. Facing him, she noticed how he stopped by the Wendy House in the trees. "What's wrong?"

"I just wanted to talk," he said, his eyes telling her the true message.

"We'll be waiting inside the Underground House," the ever-faithful Ruff stated as he led the boys away.

"I'll get dinner started," Violet announced, headed for her tree.

Sighing, Tinker Bell planted a kiss on Peter's nose before flittering away. With the boys gone, Peter offered Wendy his hand. Accepting it, she let him lead her into the little house and waited as he shut the door and sat down beside her. He looked different without the red coat Hook had given him many moons ago…he looked younger, taller, and freer.

"Peter," Wendy started, placing her hand gently over his. "You don't have to say anything-"

"I want you to know it all." Curling his fingers around hers, Peter inhaled deeply and shut his eyes. "…when I was still very young and small, I lived in Kensington Gardens. There, I met a girl named Maimie Mannering. She was the first girl I'd ever met aside from Tink and my mother, and I liked her very much…"

Wendy felt the sadness that seemed to seep from his voice, and she couldn't help but feel guilty when she felt a pinch of jealousy at the news that he liked Maimie.

"When I was older, eleven years old exactly, I decided I didn't want to grow anymore. This meant that I had to leave Kensington and go to Never-Neverland. At the time, it was a wild place. The Indians, mermaids, and fairies lived here, but they avoided one another. Neverland didn't really…how do I put it?…It wasn't alive, I guess, until I came and began to live here permanently and had my adventures. I was the first Outsider child to ever come here, and with my imagination and will, I started to shape the place to what I dreamed it would be like."

"That sounds amazing!" Wendy breathed, picturing Peter flying over the island as it changed drastically from just a single thought from him.

"But I missed the fairies when I first arrived, and Maimie…I decided to go visit her, and I found that I was too late, because she was older than me, and she had a son." The air around them seemed to hum and quiver, causing goosebumps to rise on her skin. She could see the tension in Peter's face as he began to shamefully admit his secret past. "I was so upset, so angry…I stole her boy away and kept him in Neverland. Each night, she would cry for him, and I decided to take him back. But the moment I did, I saw her husband come in and kiss her, and that made me angry again. So…I decided to play a trick on her."

"A trick?" Wendy repeated, cautious.

Pulling his hands out of hers, he looked her in the eye and said, "In Neverland, when you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, it's the first step in their leaving childhood and becoming adults. I didn't understand it completely back then…but I asked him and made it a game…"

"He grew up?" she gasped, her eyes huge in shock.

He nodded, bowing his head. "I managed to get him back with some of the fairies and when Maimie saw him, she cried so hard. He even started to cry, too, because he realized he wasn't her baby anymore. Maimie begged me to make him a boy again. At first I didn't want to, but then I thought about what I did…how angry I would be if someone did it to me…how it was bad form…but I didn't know how to fix it. Tink managed to get me a private session with the Fairy King and Queen, and we struck a deal."

Getting up from his seat, he went to the window and stared out at the dying light of the skies. "…Because I lived in Neverland so many years, one year of mine would be the same as many of your years. I would have to give up one of my years, becoming older, while he would become a boy again."

"And you did." Wendy got up and went to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You did a good thing, Peter-"

"I gave up my year, yes, and I became twelve," Peter nodded. "But I swore I would never, _never_, use that trick again."

"…does that mean you'll age, or become younger now?" Wendy asked, realizing what he had said earlier.

"No," Peter chuckled. "It's easy to change a child into a grown-up if they want it and believe it. It's tricky when you want to get a grown-up to become a child. It requires sacrificing time and youth…and lots of magic. So no, Wendy, I'm not going to change…"

"But you're upset because you broke that promise," Wendy finished for him, forcing him to turn around. Seeing his eyes downcast, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth. "You may have broken that promise, but it was the right thing to do. Hook _has _to be a grown-up, even you know that…there are too many factors here that would make him unhappy as a child…it's the way things have to be…and you protected him and made him happy again." Embracing him, she whispered, "I'm so proud of you…and thank you for telling me what happened."

Peter clutched her to his chest, loving and needing her. He loved how he could feel her heart pounding against his chest, he loved how her hair tickled his face, and he loved the feel of her arms around him…

"Ow!" he winced, a sudden and unexpected ache rippling through his back, shoulders, and neck.

"What is it?!" she asked, pulling away in worry. "Did I-?!"

"No, not you," he grunted, grabbing at the back of his neck. "Earlier in the caves, I kept falling and getting hit with the whole Scarlet incident…I'm just sore is all…geez, so this is what it's like to be old."

Wendy laughed at the face he made as he grumbled about his pain. "It's a wonder you didn't notice sooner, and you're not old, Peter Pan!" Kissing his cheek, she smiled and took his hand. "I think I know how to fix that pain, but we'd better get back home first."

With a smile of defeat, Peter let her lead him out of the house and back into their little haven.

**NEVERLAND**

Deep within the closed park of Kensington Gardens, mist rolled as a breeze rushed by the leaves of the olden trees. Big Ben's chimes rang in the air as tiny glowing lights flitted to and fro across the flowerbeds and grass. Hidden amongst the trees and benches, fairies inhabited a secret palace. The magical creatures were best known for causing mischief, delighting in play and laughter, but this night was filled with panic and chaos.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" the Royal Advisor gasped as he flitted and zoomed into the delicate building, the throne room in disgraceful disarray. "Shadow Dust is long gone – there is no sign of him in this realm!"

"Oh!" Queen Mab gasped, clutching her fist to her heart. "This is dreadful, Pulp. That mirror is dangerous in the wrong hands."

The fairy king, Kobreon, gnashed his teeth indignantly, unleashing his pent up upon a vase, sending the item flying through the air until it smashed into the wall. "I'll curse that monster into the netherworld!" he howled.

"Erm, Sire? If I may…?" Pulp gulped, watching his king with fearful eyes. "The scouts have cast a locator spell and they know where the mirror is."

"Why didn't you say so?!" fumed the Fae ruler.

"Pulp, where is it?" asked the Queen, interrupting before her loyal servant could be further verbally abused.

"Never-Neverland, my Queen. The home of Peter Pan."

A smile stretched onto the woman's face. "Then there is hope."

"My dear, Shadow Dust is extremely powerful and dangerous-" started Kobreon.

"But he is not so wise as he claims to be," Mab cut him off. "Think, my love. He used a spell to send a part of himself into this realm to steal the mirror, but he was someplace else at the same time, distracting and weakening himself. He would never have done that trick a century ago. He's desperate and weak…and I've heard stories from some of our messenger fairies that Peter and Shadow Dust have already met and confronted one another."

"You think Peter is the reason he's weakening?" asked the king, stroking his chin in contemplation.

"I do. Let us send word to our darling boy and his guardian, our dear tinker, and ask for assistance. He won't turn us down, nor will he disappoint us."

Kobreon remained silent for a moment, taking it all in. Really, what other options did he have at this point? If Shadow Dust figured out how to use the Mirror of Realms, they could be done for. "Very well, my love. We shall send word at once. Pulp, go immediately."

"Right away, Sire, I'll find our fastest fairy and-"

"I meant for you to go, Pulp."

The advisor's jaw hit the floor but he quickly composed himself as best he could. "M-me? Sire, I-"

"You'll leave tonight, once we've created a message bubble for you to take. We cannot afford to waste more time."

Bowing his head in compliance, the fairy miserably mumbled his agreement before watching his king and queen get to work on their message. This was going to be a long night…

* * *

**A/N:** I own nothing except OCs, crazy ideas, and typos.


End file.
